Falling for Maggie
by calliecolors
Summary: After Tom departs for the moon, Hal is injured on a scouting mission. Ben and Maggie save Hal, but he's in a coma. With Tom gone, and everyone else out of commission, what will happen to the 2nd Mass? Will Ben and Maggie's forbidden feelings put everyone they love in danger? Maggie/Ben romance,lots of Pope and Sara. AU. Mature and sometimes explicit, but always tasteful.
1. Chapter 1

**Falling for Maggie**

Maggie/Ben ship. Rated M. Things will definitely get on the explicit side, even though they never do on the show. I know there are a lot of Maggie/Ben haters, but - like Maggie in my story - Hal never really came back from the eye worm thing for me. The writers did too good of a job portraying him as a bad guy, and he has never really seemed the same since. That being said, I had no issues when they decided to introduce the possibility of a love triangle on the show, and since not many other people have written Maggie/Ben AU's, I am taking on the challenge. I flip perspective back and forth between Ben and Maggie. Hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter One:**

 **Ben:**

Her blond tendrils curled over his arm while she slept and he turned, positioning himself where he could look at her. Sunlight splashed across her naked shoulder. She stirred, and rolled forward a little further into the curve of his arm, revealing the tattoo of the phoenix in flight on her back. He thought she was the most beautiful creature he had ever encountered. She wound her hand around the back of his neck, and nestled her head against his bare chest, mumbling his name. "Ben, Ben, Ben..."

"Ben, wake up." The dream world exploded. He was in his room. He shot up, scooting backward, away from the dark figure in the night. Then he realized it was Maggie standing at the foot of his bed, trying to wake him up.

He took a deep breath and relaxed back against the cardboard box that currently served as his headboard. "What time is it?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. He rarely slept, so when he did it felt disorienting to wake and not know how long he'd been out. Or what had happened while he was sleeping. Stuff was always happening in the 2nd Mass. And more and more often, with his father gone, and Hal out scouting, he was the one being summoned to deal with it.

"About four in the morning," she replied. With his special hearing, he detected exhaustion in her voice, which only took on that low, husky quality when she was especially tired. With her new spikes, she was on a similar schedule to his, sleeping rarely, and he could tell that she hadn't slept in a long time. "I didn't want to wake you, but I thought you should know..."

"What? Is it dad?" He flung his wool blanket aside and got out of bed. He sensed Maggie turn her head away, as he pulled some black cargo pants over his black boxers, and grabbed a grungy dark t-shirt off of his make-shift nightstand. He covered that with his black hoodie.

He was amazed he'd had any sleep at all what with being on high alert for his father, who still hadn't returned from his mission to destroy the power core on earth's moon.

"It's not Tom. He isn't back yet. It's Hal."

Ben froze and turned his head to face her. She was wearing a hoodie, and for the first time he realized she was dressed in full field gear, her white marble handled pistols jutting out from under her arms. "What about him?"

"He was out on a scouting mission with Weaver and Anthony. The scouts just got back. They walked into an Espheni ambush. Anthony carried Weaver out and Hal..." she paused, sniffed, wiping her eyes, and continued. "Hal isn't with them, Ben. And Weaver was seriously injured. Ann's working on him now."

Ben swallowed. "What did Anthony say about Hal? Does he have any idea what happened to him?" He donned the heavy wool jacket, and strapped his modified AK over that.

She sighed. "Skitters," she said, "the skitters took him. Anthony thinks Hal was knocked out, and he saw them carrying him off into the woods."

Ben felt anger boiling up under his skin. He couldn't remember the last full week he'd gone without someone in his family being in danger. "Dad's gone. Now Hal. Whose next," he turned and looked at her, his fingers forming into fists. His next thought filled him with rage, "you?"

She shrugged, "Sometimes I feel like I died a long time ago, Ben. Now come on, we have to leave."

"To save Hal?" he asked already knowing the answer. He took her outstretched hand, and followed her out of the hut.

"To save Hal," she repeated.

####

They made better time running, on foot, than they ever would have made in one of vehicles. And they were a lot quieter. Ben liked to run just behind Maggie, to watch the way her hair whipped up in the air, the way her muscles moved. She caught him looking at her and slowed down. They were deep in the forest. Ben could feel the sun coming up, but the overhead canopy of trees still shrouded them in darkness. "Are you okay?" She asked, staring at him like she could see right through him.

He leaned against a tree and nodded. "I'm fine. Aside from being worried about dad."

"And Hal?"

He shifted a little. "Of course I'm worried about my brother..."

"But.."

He frowned. "Hal's a big boy. If I freaked out every time something happened to one of my brothers, I'd be a complete mess all the time, Maggie."

She smiled a little. "I guess that makes sense. So this isn't about..." Her voice trailed off, and she crossed her arms over her chest, taking a step toward him.

He felt compelled to answer, even though she'd never finished asking him. "About us? About the kiss...or kisses."

She inhaled deeply, still edging toward him one tiny step at a time, "Well? Is it?"

"I can't pretend I'm not thinking about it. But I'm trying Maggie. I really am."

She paused in her forward momentum toward him. Then she started again, taking another step in his direction. She was only a few feet away now. "Trying?"

"Trying not to think about you, not to touch you." Her eyes widened a little and his heart began to race. She was so beautiful, so fragile, yet strong and brave at the same time. She scared him yet, simultaneously, he felt overwhelmingly protective of her. With Maggie, it was always a series of conflicting emotions. Warring passions. An inner battle to either run from her or to kiss her raged constantly within him. Then there was the guilt over having such strong feelings for Hal's girlfriend. Guilt entered the ring on a regular basis. His only defense against the shame, was his growing worry that Hal was becoming more and more like their father, and while Ann seemed ready for the challenge of being married to Tom Mason, Ben didn't think Maggie wanted that life. Always watching the man she loved running off to kill something, eternally second to Hal's growing obsession with winning the war. Ben hated knowing that if he had Maggie's love, he wouldn't squander it, and he would certainly never put her second to anything.

"Well, I guess I should thank you for that."

He raised an eyebrow. "If you say so." She was flirting with him. He swallowed hard. How did she or Hal expect him to resist Maggie flirting. Lately his deepest, darkest fantasies were suddenly coming true, and it was too much for him.

Maggie's next step toward him put her in range for the spikes to connect, and he felt them begin to pulse. Every emotion, every feeling was instantly multiplied by a thousand. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, bending his head slightly so that he could lean in and kiss her. He felt her arms snake up his chest and her small hands intertwine into the back of his hair. The kiss was long, passionate, and left him more breathless than if had been running through the forest the first night. He gently let her feet dangle back to the ground, and - though his arms ached in protest - he let her go and watched her take a step back, her hands sliding back down to his chest. "How do you do it?" She asked, cocking her head to the left and giving him a quizzical smile.

"Do what?" He asked, willing his heart to stop pounding in his ears, and his breaths to come more evenly. No one had ever kissed him like Maggie did. There had been girls. Even Denny had kissed him once, but nothing like this. Ever. Only in the reoccurring dreams about her. Dreams he'd had before and after the spike transplant.

"How do you manage not to think about me, not to touch me? I'm so drawn to you, it's...it's..." she shook her head, putting a hand up on her forehead, "it's something I'm dealing with too...these uncontrollable feelings."

He nodded. And he wished for the thousandth time that he could convince himself that she had felt this way before they shared the same alien DNA in their bodies. If he thought Maggie loved him before, he would find a way for them to be together. He'd find a way to make things right with Hal. He would do all that for her, because to him they had always belonged together. But, no. Maggie had told him, honestly, that she didn't feel this way before the spikes, so it always ended up feeling like he was taking advantage of her. "Truthfully?" He asked, searching her eyes to be sure she was ready to hear how he really felt. He wouldn't lie to her. Since the spikes, and the kissing, they'd never really had a chance to discuss what was happening to them in any detail. If she really wanted to know, he wouldn't lie.

She took a step back, taking her hands off his chest and pulling him down beside her on the mossy floor of the forest, their backs against a large tree trunk. "Lets take a short break. And you can tell me. Better we have this conversation now, before we find Hal. I can't keep having him walking in on us. It's killing him." she said, holding his hand with both of hers, prompting him.

He took a deep breath and leaned back into the tree, all the while totally aware of the electric energy warming up between them. This proximity wasn't going to help him stay strong. "So..anyways," he started out, feeling a slight nervous twinge in his belly.

"Anyways."

"I...Maggie...I'm able to resist the draw I feel to you because you didn't feel this way about me before."

"What do you mean?"

He fidgeted a little, covering her hands with his other one. "Remember when this first started and you told me you were drawn to me because of the spikes."

"Yes."

"Well, it wasn't the same fore me." He took a deep breath, letting the words sink in. Hoping she would understand without him having to elaborate. He needed to move away. He needed to stop having her next to him, their hands intertwined, her eyes twinkling.

"Go on."

 _Crap_ , he thought. "Okay, well, I've had...I've been feeling..." he stopped and gave a little growl, trying to wrestle the words out of his mouth. "I've loved you for a long time, Maggie." She froze, and their eyes met. He could tell she was surprised. She hadn't been expecting him to say that. "I'm sorry, it's just you asked me to be honest. I've loved you, secretly, since I first laid eyes on you, I think, but I was too young and you were already with Hal, and then this happened," he gestured to her spikes, lifting his hand to gently brush aside her hair and barely touching one of the spikes. She shivered. "And suddenly you were into me, and I let us get carried away a couple of times, even though I knew it wasn't a genuine feeling for you, just some sort of echo of my own feelings through the spikes and...so..." he paused and took a deep breath, "that's how I resist. I remind myself it isn't real for you. And I won't take advantage of something you can't control, no matter how bad I want you."

"Ben," she whispered, after a full thirty seconds of silence, "What if I want you to take advantage."

He shuddered a bit, the emotion going through him was extremely intense, and it was hard to think straight with her so close, her scent filtering the piney air. He wiggled out from her embrace, stood up, and brushed off his clothing. "Come on," he said, "we're wasting time. Hal could be nearby. We need to get going again." He offered her his hand.

She shook her head, and looked away, gazing somewhere in the distance. Then he saw it. A single tear running down her cheek. "Oh Maggie," he pleaded, dropping down on his knees in front of her. "Please don't cry."

She wiped violently at the tear. "Then please, Ben."

He knew what she wanted. He knew what Maggie was asking him for. And knowing, after what he'd just told her, that she still wanted _him_ , drained every drop of his willpower. Everything he'd been holding deep down, contained in the core of his being, began to flow out. He leaned forward and pulled her to her knees and into his arms, sliding his hands down her back to the curve of her ass, and squeezed her against his hardness. She gasped and ripped his jacket off, kissing him back, kissing his neck, kissing the exposed skin above his t-shirt, before their lips met again. He was throbbing, throbbing for her. He had to stop, but he didn't think he could. He could never stop touching her. Nor could he ever stop loving her. He couldn't pretend to be something he wasn't anymore. Loving Maggie was a part of who he was. It was an permanent feature of his inherent nature. It was all he had ever known of real love, and he craved it, as much as he craved her smell, her laughter, and each and every precious smile Maggie gave him.

The sound of a branch cracking nearby caused them to freeze. Instantly, they let each other go, stood and drew their guns, aiming in the direction of the sound.

####

 **Maggie:**

They followed the sounds deep into the forest. Just when she thought they'd lost the skitters, they caught up, and Ben signaled for her to stop. They knelt down next to each other, and watched the unaware skitters - who had taken a defensive positions around a small solitary structure, about the size of a shed. "What are they doing?" She whispered.

"I don't know," he said, "but do you feel that?"

Maggie wasn't as in touch with the intensified senses that the spikes gave her in the way Ben was, yet a growing anxiety filled her stomach with heat. "An overlord is nearby."

Ben nodded in agreement. "He's controlling the skitter pod guarding that building. I think Hal might be in there."

"Why would they be holding Hal. Why wouldn't they just kill him or take him to one of those factories to be skitterized, or whatever?"

Ben frowned. "If they know who he is, they may think it will give them a tactical advantage over us. Having Tom Mason's son would be nice leverage for the overlord. He must be desperately trying to keep control over the skitters with the Espheni power source being destroyed."

"How close do you think he is?"

"Anywhere in a five mile radius of the skitters."

"That's a pretty big area, Ben."

"I know."

"How can we be sure Hal's even in there?"

"I can smell him."

"Huh?"

He turned to look at the confused expression on her face. "Once you hone your senses, learn how to pick a sense and isolate it, you'll be able to smell human beings even through walls, Maggie, among many other very cool powers."

"What are we going to do. If he's in there, we have to get him out."

Ben nodded, and picked up a rock, showing it to Maggie and gesturing toward a spot far off to the right of the guarded structure. "Once I throw it most of them will run in that direction. They'll leave one or two behind to guard the building. I'll put myself between the runners and the guards, and distract them, while you rescue Hal."

"Be careful, Ben." She warned, checking her pistols for ammo. She'd never had the chance to tell him how she really felt. She was about to reveal her secret when they'd heard the skitter scout, and now they were about to retrieve Hal, and she would have to put off telling him again.

He threw the rock and they heard it bounce against a tree in the distance. The skitters charged toward the sound, leaving one guard behind. Ben dashed off toward the runners, and Maggie, getting a running start, jumped ten feet in the air and came down right in front of the solo skitter guard. She put the barrel of her pistol in it's sweet spot and fired, feeling it go limp and then fall to the ground at her feet. Maggie wasted no time. She hit the door to the structure at a run, fired a shot at the lock, and kicked it in. "Hal?" She called.

She saw him slumped on the floor in the corner, his hands tied behind his back, eyes closed. "Hal," she whispered louder. She took a step toward him, then heard gun shots from behind her. "Come on Hal," she knelt down beside him and checked his pulse. Slow and steady. She checked him for injuries. After finding no visible damage, she gave his cheek a little slap. "Hal, wake up."

Maggie screamed as a stab of pain shot through her shoulder. "Ben," she yelled, feeling her vision go blurry. She jumped to her feet and ran out of the shed. Ben was several hundred yards away, pinned to the tree by a skitter. She lifted her gun and shot the skitter in the head. The skitter released Ben, who fell to the ground. She was next to him, before he could stand.

"Thanks," he said, wincing when she lifted him up. She could feel the throbbing echo of his pain. "Is he in there?"

"Yeah," she said, her eyes taking in the woods around them, looking for any stray skitters. "But he's out. I can't get him to respond."

"Lets get out of here." Ben suggested, "That overlord could be close by. I can still feel him. He knows we killed his slaves. And he'll try to stop us from saving Hal."

Maggie nodded. They went inside the shed, Ben knelt and picked Hal up, lifting his brothers body around the back of his neck. She gasped. "Your shoulder, Ben." The skitter claw had ripped through the fabric of his heavy coat, his hoodie, t-shirt, and his skin. He was still bleeding.

"It's fine," he said, "It will heal. Come on, Maggie. He's coming."

She felt the same anxiety she had earlier, and this time it was steadily growing, and she was starting to feel the rage in the entity that was now hunting them. "Okay," she said, "but remember, I'm almost as strong as you are now. Maybe I can help you carry him."

Ben lead the way out of the door. "Just cover me."

####

They made good time through the woods, and the farther they got from the place they'd found Hal, the more Maggie felt the overlord's presence diminish. They were losing him. "We're coming up on the perimeter," she warned, "there's a check point in half a mile or so."

Ben nodded wordlessly, and adjusted Hal's weight on his shoulders.

"You haven't said much." In fact, he'd been walking - in total silence - for the last three hours. It was driving her crazy. Especially since she could feel his intensity. Ben's silence didn't match the waves of emotion she kept feeling from him.

He glanced over meeting her eyes. His eyes were brown, with gray highlights, so different than Hals. In fact, if Maggie didn't know for a fact that they were brothers, she wouldn't have believed it. They looked nothing alike. She imagined that both Ben and Matt got their looks from their mother, Rebecca, who she had never met. Hal was the spitting image of Tom. "I'm not sure what else to say, Maggie."

She nodded, pushing a branch out of the way so he could go through. "Then I'll talk, Ben. There's something I have to tell you."

He drew to a stop and cocked his head a little. "Now?"

She could tell he was referring to the fact that he was currently carrying her boyfriend on his back. "Yes, now. Before we get back. Before I lose my courage."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Well, I guess I could use a break. I'm strong, but he's dead weight, and heavy."

Maggie followed Ben over to soft patch of moss, where he gently laid Hal down. "I'm worried about him," Ben muttered, "There's no explanation for him being out this long. Even if the overlord drugged him. It's been hours since the ambush."

She took Ben's hand and pulled him away from Hal. She lead him far enough away to be out of ear shot, but where they could still see the man they both loved. "I'm worried too. Give me five minutes to say what I have to say, and we'll get him to Ann."

Ben nodded, but she could tell his concentration was not fully on her. He was watching Hal, and simultaneously keeping an eye on the perimeter around them. She had never known a more intuitive soldier than Ben, and she had come to trust his instincts almost as much as her own.

"Back when we all got separated," she started, "I was alone until I found Lexi's place. It wasn't a good feeling. For days I thought I might be the only one left. That I'd lost everyone...all of you, and..."

His dark eyes locked on her, and he folded his arms across his chest. She had his attention now. "And?" He asked.

She swallowed hard. "I thought a lot about you." The words made her feel cold and hot at the same time. In part, it was a relief to get it out, but it also meant that he would no longer have a reason to resist pursuing his feelings for her.

She saw the expression of shock cross over his eyes. "You what?"

"I realized I had feelings for you back then. You showed up at Lexi's Sanctuary, and for those few short weeks we had, I felt like everything was as it should be. Like life was finally starting to make sense. I was happy, Ben. Happier than I can ever remember being. I think if we had gone on that way, believing we were the only ones left, that I would have felt the way I do now regardless of the spikes. I just...I don't want you being all straight forward and honest with me, without doing the same back. It's not fair for you to think what I feel isn't real. I don't know where that puts us, but at least neither of us is in the dark anymore."

She inhaled deeply, and couldn't help glancing over at Hal. She had to admit, at least to herself, that things had been going down hill between them since the eye worm. They hadn't been successful at getting back to where they'd been before he did all those things under the Espheni control. Before Hal started meeting Karen. Lately, she knew they had been kidding themselves. At the same time, Hal had tried to do everything he could to fix things, he'd even gone out of his way to keep her and Ben apart, probably hoping the initial physical bond of the spikes would fade between them. But even trying to fix things, keeping them apart had just made it worse. The more Hal kept her from Ben, the more she wanted to go to him. She reached up and touched Ben's cheek. "Say something."

"What about Hal?"

She glanced over at her sleeping boyfriend. "I still love him."

"I love him too. He's my brother."

"I don't think he loves me like he did before the eye worm. Before Karen. I think, deep down, he isn't happy."

"That's no excuse. You can't know that for sure, anyways, without talking to him."

She nodded. "True on both accounts."

He cocked his head to one side, "So, I hear what you're saying, but what are you really saying, Maggie?"

"I'm saying," she kicked a rock around with the tip of her boot, avoiding his dark, intense gaze. When had he gone from being that scrawny unharnessed kid to this intimidating man that stood in front of her. "I'm saying I loved you before the spikes."

He shook his head. "You never let on."

"Think back, Ben. I was with you all the time. There were hundred of people at the sanctuary."

"I'm Hal Mason's brother. That doesn't prove anything."

"Are you saying I'm lying to you?"

His brows creased together. "No. I'm saying the spikes could be implanting false memories."

She shook her head. "I don't believe that."

"It doesn't matter," he said, turning away from her and heading toward Hal. "There's still mountains between us, Maggie."

She couldn't argue with that. The more they talked things out, the more muddied and complicated they got. How could she tell Hal that she was also in love with his brother. That it wasn't just the spikes, wasn't just a physical thing, but something that had been building inside her since the attack that separated them all. She couldn't. The idea of hurting him that bad caused her physical pain. So she didn't argue with Ben. She followed him as he carried Hal back into camp, and they trudged into the dimly lit temporary hospital.

"Oh my god," Ann said, running to prep a table for Ben to put Hal on. "Careful," she said, gesturing for Maggie to help her and Ben get Hal on the table. "Is he..."

"He's alive, he's just in some kind of..."

"Coma..." she supplied, "possibly drug induced. I'll examine him right away. You two look like the walking dead."

"Any word on dad or Weaver?" Ben asked.

"Nothing from Tom, and Dan is stable. He was shot and he had a heart attack, so he's going to be out of the game for a while, but he'll pull through. Now, go on, get some sleep. I'll let you know the minute I know."

She practically shooed them out of the doors, waving over a medical aid coming in for the late night shift.

They strolled through the camp together, side by side, occasionally peeking over at one another. "I should check on Matt." Ben commented after several minutes of silence had passed between them.

"I'll go with you."

"Maggie," he stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "How long has it been since you slept last?"

She frowned. It was hard to remember these days, she slept so little now. "A few days, maybe."

"Liar. It's been almost a week. Trust me, I know it's easy to skip it, but your body still requires rest occasionally."

"I can't sleep." She was avoiding his eyes again. She didn't want to tell him why she couldn't sleep.

"Nightmares." He said.

She glanced up at him, caught off guard. "Sometimes. Why?"

"We're connected, remember?"

She pinched her lips together and turned toward Tom and Ann's room, where Matt was probably sleeping. She sensed him following close behind her. Together, they entered the building and went back to the room. Matt was tucked into bed, sleeping soundly. "There's room on the bed. I'll sit here with you two." Ben offered, nudging her toward the bed.

Maggie tried to resist the wave of exhaustion that washed over her, but Ben's offer to stay nearby made the idea of sleep very tempting. She didn't want to admit it to him, or Hal, but she didn't like sleeping alone anymore. Waking up from the vivid dreams alone scared the crap out of her. She felt hands on her holster, and realized Ben was taking it off of her. She lifted her arms, letting him draw it over them. Next, he helped her remove her hoodie. Then he lifted one side of the wool blanket covering Matt, and she climbed in. He tucked the blanket over her shoulders, and wiped a strand of hair out of her face. Even as tired as she was, she noticed the way his hands trembled when he touched her. He stepped away, and slumped into a recliner - the only other piece of furniture in the room.

Maggie closed her eyes. Usually it was hard for her to get to sleep, but she was vaguely aware of her spikes pulsating, and she imagined a warm, relaxing, liquid blue light traveling through her entire body, cocooning her from harm, and allowing her to relax. At the last moment, somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, she realized it was Ben using the spikes to calm her down, to make her feel safe. She was grateful and pissed off all at the same time, and then she let go, and sleep took over.

####

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading my first chapter of _Falling for Maggie_. Please let me know if you liked it or hated it, so I will know if I should keep posting more chapters or not. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter 2:**

 **Ben:**

He knew she would give him crap the next day about using the spikes to calm her down, but he didn't care. She needed rest. He could help her get it, and he could handle Maggie mad, but not Maggie dead because she was overly tired and made a stupid mistake. He sat back in the recliner and watched her sleep, the blanket gently rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Had Hal ever done this? Had he ever just sat and appreciated how lovely Maggie was when she slept? Had he ever had the spare time to just sit a silent vigil so she could get some rest? He doubted it. Hal was too involved, too busy.

" _I'm saying, I loved you before the spikes._ " Maggie's words echoed in his mind, and buzzing through him like a thousand tiny , thrilling volts of electricity. To Ben it was like the silent sound the earth made, which he hadn't known about until he'd been harnessed. A deep, low vibration that only a planetary body could generate. Her words generated the same vibration inside him. Could it be true? Did she really care for him, have feelings for him, before the transplant, or were the spikes just messing with her head? How would he ever know? How could they ever be sure? For him, the spikes influence was a deal breaker. There was no way to definitively know if her feelings for him were authentic.

Then it hit him. There was _one_ way. It was stupid, and reckless, but Ben felt pretty confident it would work, if he could pull it off without getting himself killed. His fingers twitched as a byproduct of the excitement building inside him.

He didn't usually let himself become so distracted by personal issues. Ben had worked hard - during the time when most people despised and feared him - to develop the discipline to focus on the fight, the constant fight. But admittedly, since the sanctuary, he'd lost some of that discipline. When it came to Maggie, and it always did, it didn't matter what camp-wide drama was occurring, he couldn't get his head right.

He sat for another hour, watching the two of them sleep, and hatching out his plan. He would need to go soon, and he'd need another person. The problem was, everyone he trusted was either missing, sleeping, or in the hospital. Anthony was an option, but he was so loyal to Anne, he'd probably insist they tell her before they leave, and there was no way he could explain to his step-mother why he was going on some crazy, half-cocked mission that had nothing to do with the 2nd Mass, and taking one of her best fighters with him. No, Anthony wasn't a good option.

The thought of leaving her alone while she slept was displeasing to him, especially because - though she hadn't said it out loud - he knew she wanted him there. She feared waking up alone. But Matt was there with her. And this was important. He could kill two birds with one stone; he could get answers, and simultaneously take out an overlord who was way to close to camp for his comfort. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Ben stood quietly, took a step over to where Maggie was sleeping, and took in every meticulous detail. Her cheeks were rosy - probably too warm under the blanket - and smudged with dirt. She had her hands curled up under her chin, reminding him of some kind of angel child. Her blond hair reached across the pillow, and Ben watched the way the candle light reflected in it, giving her hair the effect of a flowing, golden river. It wasn't just her outer appearance that captivated Ben. He knew even more about her than Hal did now, because sometimes the spikes let him get glimpses of her memories. He knew she used to be a junky, and only he knew that sometimes she still craved the drugs, but she never gave in. He also knew about the pregnancy, the loss of her son, and the toll her youth had taken on her. You couldn't see her scars. They weren't visible on the surface, but Ben could feel echoes of the aching pain deep within her. Yet, he also sensed her strong resolve, her determined refusal to be more than just a product of her upbringing.

He hadn't know about the baby or her old lifestyle before the spikes, but even before he'd sensed her inner turmoil. He watched Hal being so oblivious to her suffering, and it hit him in the gut every time, like he imagined it would feel to take a mech blast to the belly. He couldn't understand why Hal refused to see what was right in front of him. And he was beginning to worry that to his older brother hadn't changed - when it came to girls - since before the invasion. Ben used to hate the way Hal talked about his girlfriends. And there were a lot of them. Hal had a string of different relationships and none of them had ended well. Then there was Karen, and now Maggie. If Hal hadn't changed, Ben worried he would cause irreparable damage to Maggie. She was, of course, very different from anyone Hal had ever dated.

Ben took a deep breath, and turned to leave the room. He wandered out into the camp, going from fire to fire to warm his hands and listen to the chatter. News traveled like wild fire in the camp, and it wasn't long before he overheard someone talking about Pope making bets on whether Tom or Hal would live to lead them. Again? Ben thought. Usually he would just ignore Pope, and give the troublemaker a wide berth, but an idea began to bloom in his mind.

He trudged over to the building Pope had been using, and walked through the door. A couple of guys were sitting around a table playing cards in the candlelight. They looked up as he walked in. He recognized one of them. Malcolm Reed. "Didn't expect a Mason to come through the door." Malcolm said, standing up, "'Specially not the middle one. What you want, kid?"

Ben was well aware of the fact that Malcolm was a hothead, and he almost always sided with Pope, against the Masons. "Where's Pope?" Ben asked, knowing the answer already. He could sense John Pope in the next room.

"Back there. What you want with 'im?"

"Sorry. It's private." Ben said, and turned his back to the table, heading toward the door at the back of the room. He ignored the insults and laughter at his expense, and ducked through the flap to the other room.

Pope was sitting in a chair, leaning forward, his forearms resting on his knees, a beer in his hand. "Well, well, well, look who has decided to grace us with his presence. Shit, if I'd known a Mason was comin,' I'd have cleaned the place up a bit."

Ben sighed. "I need your help John."

Pope laughed, leaning back in his chair and gesturing for Ben to sit across from him. He wiped a strand of greasy hair out of his face and smiled. "I didn't know we were on a first name basis, kid. In fact, I got a feeling if the good doctor knew you were here, she'd be storming my castle walls."

Ben looked around the room at the tattered curtains and cardboard walls. "Whatever. Listen, all you ever do is talk about killing the enemy."

"Yeah, what of it?" Pope asked, taking a swig of his beer.

Ben waited, knowing presentation was everything. Pope was an ass, but he wasn't stupid. "What if I could take you to a nice, big pod of skitters controlled by an overlord no more than twenty miles from this room. What if we have the element of surprise, and we could take out the entire squadron just the two of us."

Pope frowned. "I'd say you must be stupider than I thought if you think we can manage that on our own."

Ben resisted the urge to smile. It was too easy. "Actually, this is the perfect time. They don't have any tech, Pope. The system is down. Any mechs he's using may get a round or two fired off before their batteries run out, and they are running dangerously low. He's exposed out there. The overlord, and probably ten or fifteen skitters. And he's losing his control over them. It's only a matter of time before they go rogue. Think about it. We sneak out, we take out the overlord, and the skitters, and we prevent an eminent threat to the 2nd Mass, without endangering anyone."

"Anyone but us."

Ben nodded. "True, but I'm not afraid. Are you?"

Pope's eyes narrowed. "Why would I do this with you, Ben?" He sneered Ben's name. "What am I getting out of it?"

"Because deep down you would do anything to protect these people. And because you're the only one I can trust who is available, at the moment."

Pope laughed, and finished off the beer. He tossed the bottle in the corner, and stood, grabbing his gun off the desk and slinging the straps over his shoulder. "Never thought I'd hear a Mason say he trusts me, and not sure if I like it, but tell me something, kid," he came to stand a foot or so away from Ben, reached out and poked him in the chest, "What are you getting out of this?"

Ben had already decided how to handle such questions. "I need information from him."

"From who? The fish-head?"

"Yes."

Pope squinted, and then slowly started to nod. "Oh, I get it. Yeah, I heard you brought big brother Mason in, that he's in some kind of coma. You think the overlord might be able to tell you how to fix him."

Ben nodded, afraid if he spoke his voice would betray him. He suspected Pope would deduce that finding and killing the overlord was about Hal. And it hadn't escaped Ben that he might be able to get answers about Hal too, but ultimately he needed to know more about the spikes. He needed to understand, so he and Maggie could move forward, one way or the other.

"All right, Mason. I'll bite. When do we leave?"

"Now." Ben said, and lead the way out into the night.

####

 **Maggie:**

She didn't have to open her eyes to know that Ben was no longer sitting in the recliner at the end of the bed. She sensed he was gone. It was Matt, stirring beside her, that had woken her from the dreamless sleep. She put a hand on the restless boys back, and cracked her eyes open long enough to get a glance at her watch. She had been sleeping for over eight hours.

Ben had probably gone to check on Hal. Where she should be. She closed her eyes again, and let her mind drift back to the woods, with Ben, and the things they'd talked about, and the things they'd done.

Matt whimpered beside her, and she gently stroked his back and started humming the only lullaby she knew to him. She stopped suddenly, and drew her hand away as if Matt was on fire and touching him had burned her. She made the calculations in her mind. Matt was just a year older than her own son would be. The thought gave her chills all over. In another world, if things had been different, this could have been her and her son, lying next to each other, her comforting him. It was more than she could handle.

She pushed the blanket off, feeling completely refreshed and energized. She quickly donned the hoodie, and her guns. Hearing her movement, Matt's eyes blinked open. "Maggie?" He said, his voice rough with sleep.

"Yeah, I'm here, Matt."

"Dad?"

She inhaled deeply, sitting down on the bed next to the sleepy kid. "I don't know. I've been asleep too. Want to go with me to see what's up?"

Matt nodded. She waited for him to use the latrine, and get dressed and met him outside the building. "Did you guys find Hal?" Matt asked, as they made their way through the busy camp to the hospital.

She put her arm around Matt's shoulder. "We found him. But last I knew he hadn't woken up yet."

"Did the Espheni do something to him?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Let's see what Dr. Glass has to say."

She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Ben, but she didn't see him anywhere. They reached the hospital, and tracked Anne down. She was in with Weaver, who was sleeping on a cot, attached to some IV tubes.

"Matt, I was about to come get you." Anne walked over to them, and gave Matt a hug. She met Maggie's eyes. "Is Ben with you?" She looked around them toward the lobby of the make-shift hospital.

Maggie swallowed. Her palms began to sweat, and her heart started racing. "No. I thought he'd be here."

Anne shook her head. "I haven't seen him since you two brought Hal in last night."

"Speaking of Hal," Matt said, going over to stand by Weaver, and taking the sleeping man's hand. "Is he okay?"

Anne inhaled deeply, "Well, Matt, I'm not sure. He's still sleeping."

"Did you figure out what's causing the coma?" Maggie asked, forcing herself to stand still despite the overwhelming urge she had to run out into the camp and search for Ben. Something felt wrong.

"No. I'm waiting for some test results, but so far I don't know why he's not waking up."

"What if...what if he has another eye bug?" Matt asked, his voice low and sad.

Anne went over to him and put her arm around him. "I scanned him for parasites. He's clean, Matt. The Espheni don't have him."

Maggie shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You okay, Maggie?" Anne asked, "Your color doesn't look good."

"I'm fine," Maggie said, backing slowly away, "Probably just hungry. I'm going to get a bite to eat, and look around for Ben. I'll be back."

"Sure." Anne said, returning to her chart on Weaver, "Oh, Maggie, can you bring something back for him," she pointed to Matt, "you know he won't leave these two."

Maggie nodded, afraid to speak because she didn't want Anne to hear how her voice might sound. She swallowed, turned on a swivel and ducked out of the hospital.

It didn't take her long to figure out that Ben wasn't in the camp. He wasn't on patrol either. And she was only twenty minutes into her search when she learned from Malcolm Reed that John Pope was also missing, and that Ben had showed up in the middle of the night, and the two of them had left together.

Maggie chewed on her lip, standing beside Anthony, surveying the empty field beyond the outer wall. "Where the hell would they go?" She muttered, and she started pacing again, back and forth, back and forth, watching the forest line - hoping to see two figures, in black, emerge out of the dense wall of pine trees.

"Mags you're putting me on edge, girl. Just relax. I'm sure they're fine." Anthony said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I can't do this," Maggie said, wiggling free of his touch. "I can't just stay here, waiting." Before Anthony could stop her, she jumped off the train car they'd been standing on, and landed on the other side of the barrier.

"Maggie. Don't. I thought we were going to wait...give 'em some time," Anthony yelled.

She shrugged, gave him a brief wave, and started running.

####

 **Ben:**

In his mind he was screaming at Pope to take the shot, but he couldn't speak. All he could do was writhe on the ground in utter agony as the overlord controlled the spikes.

He wasn't even aware of the conversation being had between Pope and the overlord. Just keeping himself from passing out took every ounce of his focus. And then finally the pain eased, and his mind cleared. He fell to the ground, drained, and his eyes fluttered open. Up on the ridge he saw a solo figure, curvy but lean, a hood over her head, her pistol aimed in his direction, the sun drowning her features in darkness. _Maggie_ , he thought, and closed his eyes.

####

Their argument woke him. His head was pounding, and he fought back bile, swallowing hard. "What the hell were you thinking coming out here with him?"

"Oh trust me, this was not my idea." Pope yelled back. "The kid came, and practically begged me to come out here with him. He was going either way, Maggie."

"You are such an idiot," Maggie yelled, "The two of you up against all of them."

Maggie was right. It was a stupid plan. Ben had underestimated the resourcefulness of the Espheni overlord. But in the end, it had worked. He had the information he wanted, or at least part of it. Enough to help him and Maggie start figuring things out. "You know, Miss High and Mighty, I wasn't going to say anything, but you're awfully concerned about that boy. After some of the questions he was asking that fish-head, I'm starting to wonder if you're getting yourself some young Mason meat. Don't get me wrong, I see the advantage to being in bed with two of the Mason brothers, but I hope you'll at least wait until the little one is fifteen..."

Ben heard the sound of fist hitting bone, and a thump nearby. He forced his eyes open, and his body into a sitting position. "Ben," Maggie said, seeing him move, and rushing over to him. Ben saw Pope lying, unconscious, about ten feet away.

"Maggie," he croaked. His throat was dry, and felt like it was on fire. She retrieved her back-pack, and pulled out her canteen, handing it to him. "You knocked Pope out?" He asked, after taking a big drink.

He couldn't help cracking a small smile, as she rubbed her knuckles. "He was being...well...Pope."

"I know. I heard him."

"You did?"

"Yes. I'm glad you punched him. He almost let me die."

"In his defense, a skitter had his attention when the overlord was trying to terminate you. Ben, what the hell were you thinking? This was dangerous, stupid, reckless..."

He nodded along with her as she ticked off another five or six reasons why he shouldn't have come. "I had to," he said, holding up a hand to interrupt her. "For two reasons. Mainly, because I needed to know what kind of control the spikes have on our minds, our memories, and our emotions. I had theories, but I needed the hard facts. I think you know why."

She inhaled deeply and touched the spike on the back of her neck, almost as if she didn't realize she was doing it. "And the other reason?"

"He was going to invade the camp and kill a lot of people."

She frowned. "How can you be certain of that?"

"Because it's what I would have done, if I were him."

Her expression turned thoughtful. "I suppose your right. But you should have had an entire team with you. This was an unnecessary risk, Ben."

He nodded. "Yes. But there is the matter of discretion, Maggie. I'm trying to protect us, not expose us."

"You keep saying 'us' but what about everyone else? We have a responsibility to keep those people out of harms way. What if I hadn't come? What if the overlord had killed you and Pope, and then attacked the camp? Did you think about those things?"

He nodded, "You're right, of course, Maggie, but it was a risk I was willing to take, and it turned out okay. Thanks to you."

She huffed, and shook her head. "I want you to promise me something right now."

"What's that?"

"Promise that you will never do anything like this again, without talking to me first. I never want to wake up and find you gone, like that, again."

His heart was pounding. She was so upset. He hated being the reason for her distress. He would have promised her anything. But had she realized what she'd said? She never wanted to wake up and he wasn't there again. Did she understand the implications her statement, or was he over thinking it. It didn't matter. He had to do something to ease the look of fear in her eyes. "I promise, Maggie."

She exhaled and slumped down on the ground beside where he was sitting. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. Anytime she was this close he was 'okay' regardless of what was going on around them. "Sure. Got a bit of a headache, but it'll pass in time."

"What are we going to do about him?"

"Wait for him to wake up. I don't mind carrying Hal for miles, but he's walking." He pointed at Pope.

Maggie laughed a little, and the sound was like angels singing to Ben. He did something then that he had done before but only a few times. He accessed the spikes and relayed what he'd learned from the overlord to her telepathically, by playing the conversation over again in his mind. As soon as he transferred the information, he released her from the connection. "My god, Ben," she said shaking her head, "Stop doing that without warning me."

"Sorry," he said, grinning as she punched him in the shoulder.

They sat in silence for a moment while she caught her breath. It was intense communicating through the spikes. More so for her, because she wasn't used to it yet. "Do you understand?" He asked, once her breathing had returned to normal.

"I think it was sweet of you to do all this just to know for sure, but I never really doubted that what I felt was real. I know I'm still adjusting to the spikes, but I can tell the subtle difference between how I felt before them, and how I feel now."

He swallowed hard. "How do you feel now?"

She turned to him, her dark brown eyes far from fearful now. Instead they were glowing with inexplicable intensity. "I feel safe. Anchored. Like for the first time in my life, I have a home. Does that make sense to you, Ben?"

Of course. Of course, it made sense. It didn't before he met her, it wasn't even a concept he was capable of understanding without her input. He reached a hand out, curled it around the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss. Their eyes were open, and so were their hearts. It was a kiss that put all of their previous kisses to shame. It was the end all. It spoke the language of love. A kiss that tethered them together for eternity. A kiss that sealed their fate.

"What the hell?" a gruff voice said, and the spell was suddenly broken.

####

 **A/N:** This was a fun chapter to write. I hope you enjoyed. Let me know if I should post more!


	3. Chapter 3

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter 3:**

 **Ben:**

"It's not her fault," Ben stammered, as Pope stared at them, having just caught them embracing each other.

Pope laughed. "Damn, Mags, I was just messing with you earlier, but this is...beyond low. What will daddy and big-brother-Mason think?"

"Shut up, Pope," Maggie said, climbing to her feet and pulling Ben up after her. "Or I swear to God I will knock you out again."

Pope narrowed his eyes. "Are you even eighteen, kid?"

Ben glared back. "Yes."

"Uh-huh," Pope said, wincing as he touched his jaw, and addressed Maggie again. "You always did have a good right hook, girl."

When neither of them answered, Pope nodded. "You two want to explain what's going on here."

Maggie laughed, and turned toward Ben meeting his eyes. "Ignore him."

"No, Maggie, he's reacting like everyone else will. He's pretty calm actually, compared to how our family will react."

"He's also sitting right here. Spill the beans. Is this about your common triceratops genes, or what?" Pope called out.

"Yes," Ben said, feeling Maggie's eyes on him as he spoke. "That's all it is, Pope."

"Bullshit. You two think you're in love."

"You are such an ass, John." Maggie replied, dismissively.

"Pope," Ben interjected, "Can we trust you to keep this between us for now?"

The long haired fighter cocked his head. "Now why in the world would I keep a secret for you two?"

Ben thought about their options. Even if Pope agreed to keep his mouth shut, the minute he got drunk he'd tell everyone. Hal knew about the kissing already, and so did Tom Mason, but no one else knew what had been going on between Ben and Maggie, until now. If Pope talked, the whole damn camp would know by morning. Ben didn't think anyone would understand. "I'll stand down as acting leader of the 2nd Mass, and I'll appoint you."

There was a full ten seconds of silence before Pope and Maggie both started talking at once, Maggie protesting vehemently, and Pope raving about Ben thinking he was in charge in the first place. "Stop, both of you." Ben said. "Ask Dr. Glass when we get back. In a situation where my father, Weaver, and Hal are all unable to lead, I'm next in line."

"That's bullshit. I never agreed with that, and I can think of ten good men more qualified for the job than you, kid."

"Well thanks for your vote of confidence. I didn't expect you to like it. But I do expect you to see the value in what I'm offering you. Think about it, John, isn't it what you've always wanted? Your chance to lead the 2nd Mass. When we get back to camp, I'll say I'm unfit for duty, and relinquish my position to you. But the minute you blurt out what you know, I'll come for you."

"Is that a threat, lil' Mason."

"Absolutely. But it won't matter if you hold up your end of the deal."

"Wait! This is insane" Maggie shouted, stepping between them. "Ben you know this isn't right. He cannot be trusted. And he isn't fit to lead anyone, let alone the 2nd Mass."

Pope shook his head, and threw his hands up in the air. "I'll think about it. We need to head back before they think I kidnapped, and murdered, the prince."

####

 **Maggie:**

They didn't talk as they walked back to camp and, with the way Pope kept looking over at them, there was no opportunity to discuss what they were feeling. "I forgot to tell you," Ben said, "The Overlord told me what we can do to reverse Hal's condition."

"So he admitted to doing that to Hal?"

Ben nodded. "Apparently there's an Espheni lab in the Midwest where they engineered a sort of virus that paralyzes it's victims. The Espheni store the antidote, for the virus, at the lab where they make it. I think they're making other things as well. We're going to need that antidote if we want to get Hal back."

"Could the Overlord be lying. There has to be another way to get our hands on the antidote."

"Sounds fishy to me too," Pope agreed, "you can't trust anything the Espheni say."

"No one asked you Pope."

"Oh sorry. I didn't realize this was a one way conversation between you and your teenage boyfriend, Maggie."

Pope had known her longer than anyone. Did he really think she was doing it all on purpose? She hated that he sometimes got to her, with his hateful banter. She swallowed hard, and fell silent.

A few minutes later they crossed a hilltop and the camp came into sight. Smoke was crawling, in curling tendrils, toward the clouds above. "There's been an attack," Pope said, stating the obvious."Come on."

"Hold on, Pope," Ben said, grabbing the older man's arm. Pope looked down at the hand on his upper shoulder and Ben removed it. "Let Maggie and I go first, see if we can sense any remaining enemy presence."

Pope inhaled deeply. "We still good on the deal, Mason, regardless of what happened in the camp."

Maggie wanted to slap Pope, thinking about deals when everyone they cared about could be dead. "Yeah, yeah, of course," Ben said, "Are you going to let us go first."

Pope nodded, holding up his gun and aiming in front of him. "I'll hang a few yards back, and cover you."

Maggie could tell Ben was concentrating on the camp, trying to sense any enemy activity. They passed the check-point, which should have been manned, but was empty. "The guards." Ben whispered. Maggie followed his eyes and saw an arm hanging over the edge of the top of the train car.

Ben jumped up onto the top of the car, fell down on his belly, and disappeared from sight for a moment. "It's okay," he yelled, poking his head over the side of the train car.

Maggie slung her gun over her shoulder, knelt down, and pressed her hands into the earth, then pushed off and landed, a little wobbly, on top of the train car. A strong hand reached out to steady her. "Thanks," she said.

"Don't worry about me," Pope called, "I'll just walk in the normal way."

"We weren't," Ben said, but she knew he was speaking softly enough for Pope not to hear. "They're gone, Maggie. I think they evacuated. Two guards dead up here. Looks like they were trying to buy the others some time." He held his hand out for her.

She took his hand, feeling the warm, safe electricity flowing out of him and into her. She took a deep breath, and jumped with him, like they had when he'd first started training her, off the train car. They landed on the ground and met up with Pope.

They confirmed the camp was empty. The hospital had been evacuated, and fast, because they'd left a bunch of supplies behind. The dead bodies of several fighters, and many more skitters littered the entire camp. "I think it's safe," Ben finally stated, "From the looks of it the attack was disorganized, and our people had some notice."

"Rogue skitters." Pope explained.

"Hey," someone yelled. A distinctly female voice.

They raised their guns. "Sarah?" Pope called out, looking around, his hair whipping this way and that.

"John. John is that you?" Maggie saw a figure emerging from between two smoking buildings, and pointed at her. Pope ran toward Sarah, while Ben and Maggie held back, guns drawn, eyeing the buildings around them for any movement.

It took a minute but they caught up with Pope, who was hugging and kissing Sarah. Maggie raised an eyebrow. She'd heard the rumors that Pope had a thing for Sarah, and she'd even felt sorry for him when the woman had run off, but she didn't know they were this close. She felt Ben's hand fold around her own, and a tingling sensation raced up her arm.

He let go of her hand only when Pope turned to face them. "Hey Sarah," Ben called, with a wave, "Were you here for this?" He gestured to the buildings around them.

"No," she replied, "But I wasn't far away when it happened. I heard the shots. When I got here everyone was gone."

"Ben?" Maggie called. He was walking away from the group, toward the war-room, where his father and Weaver, and sometimes others, met to discuss upcoming battle plans. She followed him, and heard Pope and Sarah's footsteps behind her. Ben glanced back, just before ducking into the war-room, and gestured for her to follow.

She found him shining his gun light on the planning table. A map was laid out, it's corners held down by fist-sized rocks. She saw someone had marked the map with an X and left a one-word message:

 _"Metaurus"_

"Metaurus," Maggie read, "What does that mean?"

"The Battle of Metaurus, an ancient battle between the world's greatest superpowers of the era; Rome and Carthage." Ben answered, running his fingers across the single word on the map, "My dad uses it as a code-word sometimes. I think it was one he taught to Anne. I'm just trying to remember the meaning he assigned to it."

Ben rubbed his temples. Maggie sensed Pope and Sarah hanging back in the doorway, talking in hushed voices. She couldn't resist reaching up and sliding her hand around Ben's forearm, curling her fingers in the fabric of his jacket sleeve. She knew Pope and Sarah were watching, but she didn't care. Ben needed her. He was struggling to remember something, and whatever it was, she had a feeling it was important. She heard Pope whistle behind her, but she focused her attention on the man she held onto, and looked up. Ben was looking down at her, giving her a curious look. "Maggie?" He asked, his voice full of surprise.

"Just trying to help." She said, smiling at him.

Ben nodded, the corner's of his lips turning up a bit. "Metaurus is a code-word for safety. I think this means the 2nd Mass were able to evacuate."

"And they've moved there?" She asked, pointing at the X.

He frowned. "Anne or my dad would have known better than to put their precise location on the map, but I'm willing to bet their close, or they've left another bread crumb there for us."

"Sounds like we have a destination," Pope said, and Maggie reluctantly dropped her hand from Ben's arm, and leaned forward on the table.

Ben shook his head. "I'm not going after them."

"What?" Maggie asked.

Ben turned to face Pope and Sarah, and Maggie followed his lead. "I don't plan to rejoin the 2nd Mass at this time." Ben stated.

####

 **Ben:**

All three of them were staring at him like he'd just suggested flying to the moon.

"Son, I'm a long time believer that the Masons are all cowards, but I had you pegged as the bravest of the bunch, seeing as you came back last time you ran off." Pope, said shaking his head in disapproval.

Ben held up his hand. "It's not what you're thinking, Pope."

"Where is it you're going, Ben?" Sarah asked, and he thought he saw her pinch Pope, before he could say anything else.

"Kansas," Ben replied.

Silence. He understood. He was surprising himself a little bit with the idea, but he'd been thinking about it already, before they'd found the camp. If they'd returned, and Hal was still in the coma, Ben was going to volunteer to go to the lab in the Midwest and retrieve the antidotes anyways. If the Espheni were resorting to new tactics - with their tech system down - more and more people were going to end up hurt the way Hal was. Humans were going to want access to a cure, and whatever else they could get their hands on before destroying the Espheni lab. He had learned from the Overlord that it was the central Espheni lab. Destroying it would, hopefully, be another crippling defeat for the Espheni. Wasn't that always the plan? Hit them where it hurt the worst - hence his father's trip to the moon.

Maggie broke the silence. "I get it. The lab," she said in that breathy voice. She had shocked him by touching him in such an intimate way in front of Pope and Sarah. "You're going to steal the antidote."

"And destroy the lab. The Espheni as much as told me that the lab is critical to them, and it's a central resource for the entire North American region." Ben nodded in affirmation. "Plus, it's the only way to help Hal."

"But we can't worry them like that," Maggie stated, "Anne, Matt, they'll think we're dead."

"You three can tell them where I'm going."

"I'm coming with you." Maggie said, "I'm not sure how we're going to make it that far, without getting ourselves killed or captured, but I'm not letting you go alone."

Pope, for once, seemed to be speechless. "So, this antidote, it will help Hal Mason?" Sarah asked Ben, swaying a little so that her side was pressed into Pope. "You would risk your life like that for him?"

"He's my brother, and that's my family." Ben stated, "The Espheni are experts in mechanical and biological engineering. The monster has two legs. Somehow my dad, and Lexi, managed to destroy the Espheni power source, cutting them off from access to their mechs; mother-ships, beamers, mega-mechs...all their tech is down as far as we know - for good. Think about it. What's the monster's other leg?"

"Bio-organic engineering." Pope answered. "More injections like the one they gave your brother. More bugs."

"Exactly." Ben said, "So, if I take out the other leg, the Espheni might fall. It could be the end to this war."

"You sure got a lot more from interrogating that fish-head than I did," Pope asserted, recovering from his shock, "He didn't say anything, out-loud, about the location of the laboratory for instance."

Ben shook his head. "He didn't need to. I connected the dots between what he told us, and the images I stole from his mind."

"You expect me to buy all of this?" Pope said, puffing up his chest with bravado. Pope was always putting on a show, but Ben could tell even the hardened John Pope was getting excited.

"Not really," Ben said, crossing his arms over his chest, "But remember that deal we were making earlier?"

"Go on." Pope said, looking a little reluctant to talk about it in front of Sarah.

Maggie stepped forward, and touched his shoulder. "Ben...what are you doing?"

"Well, turns out I really do need you to take over, Pope."

"What?" Pope and Maggie both said, at once.

"We know some people were injured, and that Weaver and Hal weren't in any shape to lead. That means Anne is in charge, and we also know that she's probably trying to care for patients from this attack, trying to save lives. She's going to need some help from someone she can trust."

Pope glared at Ben. "Now I'm trustworthy?"

"I told you when I came to ask for your help with the Overlord, that I trusted you."

Pope fidgeted a bit and cleared his throat. "So you're telling me that you, and Mrs. Robinson here, are going to run off to save the world, and you expect me to tuck my tail and hide in the 2nd Mass? No way, Mason. We're coming with you."

"We are?" Sarah said, turning to give Pope a confused look.

"Ben," Maggie stood close enough that he could feel her breath on his back, "Can I have a word with you in private."

"I don't know, do you two need a chaperone?" Pope asked. Just like Pope, making jokes no matter how serious the subject matter was.

"We can give them a minute, you jerk." Sarah said, punching Pope in the shoulder. "I have a few choice words to give you as well."

Pope growled, throwing his hands in the air, but he followed Sarah out of the war-room. Ben turned to look down at Maggie. "I'm sorry, I should have talked to you before I talked to Pope. Lately, I'm just trying to go with my gut, Maggie. It seems to be paying of, so far."

"It's paying off?" She asked, "Really? Have you considered how dangerous this new plan is, Ben?"

He shrugged. "Yes. Which is why I was hoping you would go on to the 2nd Mass, with Pope."

She rolled her eyes. "You know I'm not going to leave you."

"Why Maggie? We've been apart before..."

"Your family would never forgive me."

"Don't give me that," he said, "remember, we're in each others heads." He gestured to her head, and then to his. "Tell me why you won't leave."

She inhaled deeply and tried to avoid his eyes. "I...I don't know...it's..." she shook her head, and absently put a hand on her hip holster, "complicated."

"Is it? We both know where you belong. Back there with Hal, watching over him. A few months ago that's exactly where you would have been."

She sighed. "Okay, okay, you're right. I can't leave you, Ben. I don't want to be away from you ever again. Anytime you aren't within a few feet of me, I get anxious. I need to be with you, right now. Besides, I can't do anything for Hal that Anne isn't already doing. At least, by your side, I can be of some use."

He breathed a sigh of relief, and reached out, gripping her jacket and pulling her to him. She closed the gap willingly, stepping toward him, relief evident in her dark gaze. "I love you, Margaret. I know that's going to hurt people, but I can't keep pretending I don't."

She pushed upward, her eyes locked on his as she moved to kiss him. Then the spikes connected, and they both felt the presence of the enemy nearby.

"We've got movement out here." Pope yelled. "Let's go, lovebirds. It's now or never."

####

 **Maggie:**

Everything was spinning out of control. In a matter of hours, her home had gone from being the 2nd Mass to being Ben Mason. She was kidding herself if she thought running away with him, meant anything else. When had he become her center of gravity?

They hadn't said the words out loud yet, but they both knew exactly what they were giving up to be together. As they sped away from the camp in Sarah's truck, Sarah driving, Pope passenger, and she and Ben sitting in the back, Maggie felt a little homesick for the comfort of being with the 2nd Mass, of mixing in with a crowd of people. Out on the road, driving wherever Sarah was taking them, she felt exposed and more than a little lonely.

Ben, probably sensing her distress, leaned his head forward a little to make eye contact with her. She knew him well enough to understand the meaning in his innocent expression. He was silently asking for her permission to touch her. She gave a little nod, and couldn't help the sigh of relief that she breathed when his warm, large hand came to rest on her thigh. She covered his hand with hers, and laid her head back, closing her eyes. Why did being with Ben feel a little like sitting in the middle of a teeter-totter. The pleasure of being with him was as extreme a feeling as the pain of knowing it couldn't end well for anyone. He made her feel like a lovesick little girl with her first crush. No one had made Maggie feel that way in a long time. Sure, there had been passion with Hal, and she truly loved and respected the older Mason brother, but her feelings for Hal paled in comparison to the immeasurable ones she had for Ben.

"We're almost there," Sarah called - over the rumbling engine. "I've got a little cabin. I haven't had any run-ins, with the aliens, yet."

Ben sat forward a little to talk to Sarah and Pope, though his hand never left her leg. They were talking supplies, weapons, and ammo. Maggie turned to look out the window, watching the shape of the horizon in the distance. Beneath her inexplicable and overwhelming thoughts of Ben, there was worry about the 2nd Mass. Would they do okay with four less fighters, two with special powers? They still had Denny and a couple of the other "spike" kids. Anne was a strong leader, after spending four months in the wilderness, most of the time under some kind of attack, looking for Lexi. And Anthony was an excellent soldier, having been with the unit since the beginning. They still had a handful of good fighters, and a couple trained medical personnel. They most likely had the Volm's assistance in escaping, and were hopefully still traveling with the Volm. With the Espheni power grid down, the 2nd Mass - probably for the first time - actually stood a chance at surviving in the new world.

"Earth to Maggie," a low voice whispered in her ear, and she felt the hair on her arms stand on end.

She looked over at him. For some reason she noticed, for the first time, that his hair was starting to get a little shaggy. He had changed so much since the day she first met him. Not in a bad way. She'd seen him without his shirt on, she'd been pressed against that rock hard chest. She had squeezed his arms. He was more muscular and fit than any man she'd ever been with, including Hal.

"Hey wasn't she..." Sarah was saying. Maggie looked up and met the woman's eyes in the rear view mirror. "Weren't you with that tall, dark, and handsome Mason. Hal?"

"You're going a little overboard with the handsome part, babe," Pope answered, before Maggie or Ben could, "But that's just how our Maggie is, she moves around a lot if you know what I mean. Although, lately her tastes have become rather exclusive to the Mason family."

Maggie ground her teeth together. She caught Sarah looking at her in the mirror again, but this time she was giving Maggie an apologetic smile. Maggie smiled weakly back at her. She'd been

around Sarah enough to know that the woman had a tendency to speak before she thought about what she was going to say. Maggie couldn't blame her for being out of the loop, and having no filter.

"Sarah, did Maggie ever tell you the story about how she joined the 2nd Mass?" Ben asked, giving Maggie's leg a little squeeze.

Pope turned suddenly and narrowed his eyes at Ben. "Never-mind," he said, and they felt Sarah slowing down. "It looks like we're here."

"Yeah," Sarah confirmed, "My place is right through those trees. Home sweet home. At least for this week."

####

The cabin was small, but at least there was a shower. It was outside, in a barn stall, and freezing cold, but Maggie was just grateful to be clean.

She was stepping out of the shower, and had just wrapped a towel around her body, when Ben walked in. "Oh," he said, and she saw he was carrying a towel and his back-pack, "Sorry, I thought you were...I heard the shower turn off a while ago and..." he stopped talking and she felt her cheeks fill with heat as his eyes took her in. He dropped all pretense that he wasn't looking. "If you had any idea how beautiful you are, you'd dump us both."

She laughed. "It's okay, I was just getting out. Go ahead." She gestured toward the shower.

He raised his eyebrows, and took a seat on a small wooden bench, bending over to untie his boot laces. Maggie took another towel off the shelf, and started drying her hair.

"Pope's making dinner," Ben offered, and she noticed he was taking his sweet time with the boots. "Which is probably a good thing, because I'm pretty sure the rest of us suck at cooking."

"That's one thing Pope is good at, besides killing skitters."

"He seems to have calmed down about us."

She noted how his tone subtly changed, as the subject matter turned to them. "I wouldn't count your chickens before they hatch, Ben. He's like a feral komodo dragon, just waiting for us to bleed out so he can devour our corpses."

"Eww." Ben said.

She laughed. It was nice to be able to have light moments with Ben. It had been a while since they'd been relaxed enough, around each other, to be that way. "But seriously, you know what I mean. It will never stop with him. As long as he thinks he has something to hang over our heads, he'll keep picking away at us, until one of us goes crazy and shoots him."

Ben laughed. "That will be you, of course."

"Why me?" She asked, turning to watch him finally pulling off the boot.

"Because I'm the calm and calculated one. I ignore Pope. You're the reactor, the girl who goes around punching people who say stuff she doesn't like. You let him get under your skin."

She nodded. "You're probably right."

"I'm definitely right." He said, looking up to wink at her, before he bent back over to work on the other boot.

Maggie stepped behind the wall of the barn stall to dress, but she could still see over it. She opened her pack, and retrieved her clothes. She was putting her hoodie on over her black tank top, when she heard the shower start up, and Ben shrieking as he stepped into the cold water. She couldn't help laughing. "Cold?" She called, kneeling down to tuck her pant legs into her hiking boots.

"Hell yes. Thanks for the warning."

"It's better when you aren't expecting it."

She strapped her knife sheath on - inside the boot - and slid her knife into place. Next she put on her thigh and shoulder holsters, and then completed the outfit with her guns. Maggie remembered back before the invasion, when she actually worried about not being fashionable enough. She figured she was rocking the post-apocalyptic style she'd adapted for efficiencies sake. If only her mother could see her now. It turned out neither cancer or aliens could kill Maggie.

She took one last look at Ben, who was dancing around the shower trying to keep warm as he soaped up, and turned to walk from the barn to the cabin. She realized she was starving. The spikes curbed her appetite, but she knew deep down why she didn't bother to think about food. Ben. She was lovesick for him. So lovesick that it had been hard not to climb in the shower with him. She had to remember that he wasn't Hal. Ben was more old fashioned, and she felt like he needed to take things slow with her. Or maybe she was the one who wanted to take her time. For the first time, maybe she didn't want to rush things with a guy.

Maggie went into the cabin, and found Pope teaching Sarah how to properly cut garlic. She chuckled at the two of them, both in the kitchen, both wearing aprons. The entire situation was almost too comedic and surreal for Maggie. Somewhere, out there, a war was waging, but here, in the warm glowing fire-light, with the smell of food cooking, and the only man she would ever love again not far away, Maggie realized she felt happy. When Ben walked the door a few minutes later, he found her smiling to herself as she set the table for four.

He cocked his head at her, and she looked up to catch the lop-sided grin she liked so much. She guess he could feel her joy. Her heart skipped a beat as he crossed the room to her, and started helping her to set the table.

Maggie wasn't naive. She knew this was probably a one time thing, having a civilized dinner in a real home. Besides, that wasn't the life Maggie wanted. And she was pretty sure it wasn't for Ben either. Hal used to talk about when the war ended, where they would end up. He'd mention his dream of having a house, a garden, and kids running around. He barely noticed it bothered her. He couldn't have known that every word, felt to Maggie, like another bar in a cage, built just for her. He didn't realize that she wasn't the type to settle down, get married, and have kids. Sometimes, she wondered if he knew her at all. Or if she was just another pretty face. A 'trophy wife' like her own mother had been. But thought of being anyone's 'trophy wife' made Maggie cringe.

Ben was like her. She wasn't sure if he'd always been that way, or if the lifestyle he'd taken up since Anne removed his spikes just suited him better, but the life fit Ben. She knew he would continue to surprise her.

####

 **Ben:**

"It's simple really," Sarah was saying, in response to his question. "I stay under the radar. As long as I'm not doing anything to stop them, they ignore me."

"So that's it," Maggie said, still stirring the stew around in her bowl. "You just didn't attack them, and they left you alone."

Sarah looked up at Maggie, and smiled, tapping the side of her beer glass. "I kept my father's gun on the seat beside me whenever I was traveling, covered up by a blanket. I never let them see that I was armed, and I kept to my own business. I'm not sure why it worked, but it did. I crossed three states, without ever having an altercation, and it wasn't like we didn't see each other. I guess they just didn't see me as a threat, so they didn't care."

Ben rubbed his chin. "Like Lexi," Maggie stated, "But it wasn't the non-violence that kept the Espheni from attacking the sanctuary, it was Lexi's secret interaction with the Espheni."

Ben inclined his head, and his expression turned contemplative. "Sarah's talking about strategy as opposed to Lexi's misguided ideas about peace."

"Strategy?" Pope asked, "Since when is hiding a strategy."

"Since strategy existed, actually. And it's not really hiding, it's more like hiding in plain sight. Not to sound like my father or anything, but it reminds me of the thirty-six strategies in _The Art of War_."

"Here we go," Pope leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head.

Sarah waved Pope's comment off. " _The Art of War_. I've heard of that. Go on, Ben."

"Anyways," Ben said, "The book provides strategies related to thirty-six battle scenarios in Chinese history. One of the strategies is _deceive the heavens to cross the oceans_. It's the idea that moving about in the shadows, staying in isolated places, or hiding behind screens only attracts suspicious attention. To lower an enemies guard, one would act in the open and hide their true intentions, under the guise of common everyday activities."

"Boring," Pope whined, "What's your point."

Ben sighed. "I think we should get a reliable vehicle and drive to Kansas without attacking any of the enemy we stumble on. We hide our weapons, and we go about our business without provoking, threatening or attacking them, unless of course they start it. From what Sarah is describing, and based on what we know about Lexi's Sanctuary, I think it's our only chance of getting to the laboratory alive."

####

"So we're really doing this?" She asked, settling down on the sofa beside him.

Pope and Sarah had retired to the room Sarah was sleeping in. Ben didn't want to think about what they were doing in there. He and Maggie had just cleaned up after dinner, gone over some maps, and were finally sitting down together.

"I can't be with a girl who hasn't read Harry Potter," Ben insisted, winking at her. The subject of Harry Potter had come up when Pope was trying to get a rise out of Maggie for being with a younger guy. But when Ben heard Maggie say she'd never seen the movies, he went over to his back-pack and retrieved his beat up copy of The Sorcerers Stone. He'd been trying to think of a way to spend the night with Maggie, considering neither of them wanted - or needed - to sleep, and he was pretty sure they weren't ready for anything else.

He handed her the book. "So you're just going to sit here and watch?"

He nodded, risking a hand on her thigh. He still wasn't sure how to go about asking for permission to touch her, or if that was even necessary anymore. So far, their physical interaction was limited to bursts of passionate kissing, and holding hands. There hadn't been time for anything else. Now, they had all the time in the world, and no worry of someone walking in on them. He knew what he wanted to spend the night doing with Maggie, but rushing her seemed like a bad idea. Besides, she was the more experienced out of the two of them, so perhaps he should wait for her to make the first move. Up to this point, it had been equal. Sometimes, she kissed him, sometimes he kissed her. If he really wanted to speed things up, he could activate the spike connection, but he knew Maggie didn't like when he did it, and he wanted things to be as real as possible between them.

"I can't read when you're staring at me like that." She dropped the book in her lap, folded her arms over her chest, and stared back at him. They were facing each other, their knees touching, and he watched how the firelight reflected in her eyes, like stars dancing in milk chocolate.

He could feel the energy swimming between them, and his spikes began to glow on their own accord. Then she was in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, her body stretched across him, her breasts pressing into his chest. He put his hands on both sides of her face, and dropped his head down, grazing her lips with his own, the tingle of electricity made him groan. "I love you," he murmured, "I love you, and I want you, Maggie."

There was no fear over it being his first time. He simply did what felt natural, and followed her lead. He felt her giving all of herself to him, truly opening up for the first time, to him. He gave back his gratitude, that she would save this part of herself, and because she chose to share it with him alone. As she slid slowly down onto him, he placed his hands on both sides of her hips and rocked upward, in awe by the moan it inspired from her. She leaned down, so their naked chests were touching, slowly moving on top of him while she held his gaze, until they both climaxed - and it felt to him like the supernova of twin stars. Then she was falling, falling onto his chest and tucking her head under his chin, and he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. They breathed together like a single being. _This is what heaven feels like,_ Ben thought.

###

 **A/N:** So far, I think I like where this is going...do you?


	4. Chapter 4

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter Four:**

 **Ben:**

"You're right, kid," Pope conceded. He lowered the binoculars and patted Ben on the back. "I've got movement. Human. Looks like some kind of military base built into the side of the mountain."

Ben took the binoculars and peered through them. It was hard to zone in when the panoramic view was so beautiful. Ben had seen mountains before, on trips with his family pre-invasion, but there was nothing quite as breathtaking as the Cumberland Plateau at sunset. Across the valley, the cliffs were bathed in a royal blue light, which reflected like crystal clear water. Ben knew that the plateau was lifted by an ancient sea and worn down by erosion for millions of years.

"Wow," Maggie said, startling him a little as she laid down on her belly beside him. "The view is incredible."

Ben stood corrected. Or rather crouched corrected. Maggie was more breathtaking than the plateau. Winter suited her. Her skin glowed, and her hair was down, spread out across the heavy wool coat she was wearing. "It's humans. Look Maggie." Ben handed her the binoculars and watched as she looked through them studying the structure, barely visible, poking out of the side of the cliff.

"It looks like some sort of military base."

Ben nodded. "If it was, it's not on any of our maps."

"Could be a bunker," Pope speculated, "some sort of secret government installation..."

"Wait," Maggie said, interrupting Pope, "There wearing fatigues."

Ben took the binoculars. Sure enough, the tiny figures - when enhanced in the binoculars - were wearing clean military garb. They were carrying wooden crates from the back of a truck into the entrance of the structure.

"No telling how far that building goes into the mountain." Pope said, taking the binoculars Ben held out for him, and looking through them. "There could be ten assholes having a circle jerk in there, or an entire community."

"We haven't seen any Espheni for thirty miles," Maggie said, "I wonder if they're staying out of this area for a reason."

"They've got to be collaborators, otherwise the aliens would have taken the base. We found them, it doesn't make sense that the Espheni haven't." Ben replied.

Maggie groaned. Ben glanced over at her. She was no longer focused on the base. She was turned on her side, grabbing her stomach. "Not again," she complained, then got to her feet and dashed into the woods behind them. They heard her retching up her lunch seconds later.

Ben swallowed hard. In had been two months since they'd left Chinatown, and they'd only covered about a hundred miles. It was when they were forced to abandon their vehicle, and go into the mountainous forest region, on foot, that they'd really slowed down. It had been almost three weeks since they had started into the mountains, and they were only about halfway through the range. Four or five days ago, Maggie had become ill. She wasn't able to keep food down, and she was getting weaker and weaker. Ben was worried about her, and now they had stumbled upon other humans. What if they weren't collaborators, and there was some other reasonable explanation for how they had managed to survive this long? What if they had a doctor? "We can't pass this up, Pope," he said, turning to look back at the plateau. "This may be our only chance of finding a doctor."

Pope inhaled deeply. "Could just be the flu."

"We've been in the wilderness for almost a month. She couldn't have been exposed to anything."

"Could be the spikes," Pope guessed.

Ben shook his head. "My condition had progressed much further than Maggie's, and I'm not sick."

"Guess you're right." Pope agreed. Ben could smell food cooking not far off. Sara was probably starting a pot of beans. He looked over at Pope. The man did not look like the same John Pope who had fled Chinatown with them. His hair was held back in a ponytail, and his face was covered in a thick beard - like Ben's own face. It was self-preservation so they could live within the extreme elements of the plateau in the harshest part of winter. Fortunately, the elements had been their number one enemy. The alien presence was non-existent in the mountains. Ben guessed that wouldn't last long. First frost, the Espheni would probably sweep the area, carrying off or killing any humans who had managed to survive the winter in the mountains. He realized the men working across the valley were probably dead men walking. Staying in one place was a death sentence in the new world.

They both turned when they heard footsteps behind them. Maggie was coming back, wiping her mouth, and looking slightly green "Sorry" she said, "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Probably Sara's cooking." Pope said, crouching to his feet with Ben. They joined Maggie and the three of them headed back to camp.

Sara was huddled between the fire they'd built and a large log they were using as a windbreak. "Finally." She said, jumping up when she saw them emerging from the tree line, "I was starting to worry."

"We found people." Pope told her, meeting her halfway and swooping her up in his arms. Her eyes widened in excitement.

"Really? Does that mean we don't have to eat beans for dinner?"

"No," Ben said, leading Maggie over to sit next to the log. "We should take it slow. Watch them for a while before we decide what to do."

Sara pouted at Pope. "Nah," he said, "kids right. Better safe than sorry. Did you use the spices we found?"

Pope and Sara started talking seasonings and food, and Ben turned to Maggie, taking her mittens off one at a time and warming her hands between his own. "Are you feeling any better?"

She smiled at him, "I'm fine. It's just, embarrassing."

"You don't always have to be the strong one, Maggie."

"Yeah," she said with a little laugh, "I'm supposed to be the bad-ass, you know."

"You're still _my_ bad-ass," Ben said, leaning in and kissing her lips, feeling the zing of electricity that never got old.

"Ben," she said, "I can tell you're worried. Your eyebrows are all scrunched, and you have lines in your forehead."

Ben instantly relaxed his face. The last thing he wanted to do was freak Maggie out. So far, they'd just kept hoping she'd get better. But that wasn't happening. "Here, drink this." He handed her canteen. They were camping next to a fresh mountain spring. It was frozen over but if they cracked the ice, underneath was good water. She took the canteen, giving him a knowing look, and took a drink.

Dehydration was a real risk. Hypothermia. There were countless reasons she could be sick. They'd been living in the wild for so long that it was a wonder none of them had suffered illnesses before. But, deep down, Ben was scared that her cancer was back. "Better?" He asked.

She nodded, and he could tell she was trying to act brave, just like him. "Listen. Maggie. It's going to be okay, now. Those people could be survivors. They might have someone with medical experience."

She shook her head, "I don't like it, Ben. Normally, we'd skirt around this place. The mission is too important, and I don't like the idea of diverting from it because of me. It's already been two months. We don't know how long Hal has. We don't know what kind of biological experiments the enemy is doing, we don't know what will come next. We have to get to that lab."

Ben wrapped his arm around her and drew her against him. He was opening his mouth to reassure her when they heard a loud female voice shout. "Put your weapons down, and you're hands in the air. We have you surrounded."

He felt Maggie tense beside him, instinctively going for her gun. "No," he whispered stopping her hands, "Do what they say," he said a little louder so Pope and Sara could hear him.

"We're friendly" Ben shouted. "Don't shoot. We're lowering our weapons."

The group slowly dropped their weapons on the ground, and Ben saw movement in the trees. Soldier in fatigues - carrying automatic rifles - emerged from the tree line. "Who are you?" A woman asked, coming to stand in front of the soldiers. She was holding a rifle, but wearing the clothing of a civilian. Her hair was dark brown, and tied back in a pony tail.

Pope gestured for Ben to answer. "I'm Ben Mason. This is Maggie, John and Sara. We're with the 2nd Mass."

"Ben Mason." The woman turned and glanced at her comrades, "Welcome. Your father has been looking for you."

"My...my father?" Ben said, unable to help stammering. "He's here?" Ben asked. Impossible. The last time he saw his father, he was getting into a beamer to fly to the moon. He hadn't returned. Everyone assumed that he'd never made it back to earth, after the attack on the Espheni lunar base.

He felt Maggie's hand on his shoulder, and relished the feeling of calm that immediately washed through him.

"No." The woman answered, "But we've heard his radio broadcasts. Your family is looking for you. Tom Mason took out the lunar base. You, and the 2nd Mass, are kind of famous around here, by proxy."

"I see." Ben replied.

"Lower your weapons, boys," the woman said, before turning back to Ben. "I'm Natalie. Welcome to the mobile human Embassy."

####

 **Maggie:**

The shower felt so good. Maggie couldn't remember the last time she'd had hot water. Long after she'd washed, she lingered, letting the water soak into her sore muscles. It had been so long since she'd seen her own bare legs, that she didn't realize how harry she'd gotten. She shaved, rinsed, and reluctantly turned the handle, shutting the shower down.

She dressed in the clothing she'd selected from the embassy's lost and found, while her own clothing was being washed, or so they'd told her. The black jeans barely fit. She drew them off, read the size, and put them back on, feeling a bit confused. After two months on the road, sometimes going days without eating, and with all the puking she'd been doing lately, how could she have gained weight - going up two jean sizes.

The thought was pushed out of her mind as the door to the communal showers opened, and a pretty, slim teenage girl entered. "Hi," she said, "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here. This is an unusual time of day for a shower. You must be one of the new arrivals."

"Yeah. "I'm Maggie." She extended her hand and the girl shook it.

The girl was probably fifteen or sixteen. Her hair was cut short - in a pixie cut - and ginger colored. She was wearing overalls and a t-shirt. "Zoe," she said. "I was just getting the dirty towels." She let go of Maggie's hand and went over to the linen closet, opened the door, and pulled out a laundry cart on wheels, stuffed to the rim with towels. "Nice to meet you." She said, pushing the cart into the swinging doors. She was almost through the door when Maggie saw a silver spike sticking out of the back of the girl's neck. She inhaled sharply, putting her hand to her mouth, but the girl didn't seem to notice. They have spikes here? She thought. That meant that someone else had learned how to remove kid's harnesses. She made a mental note to ask about it later. It was a little off-putting to see, but the girl was so sweet Maggie couldn't help smiling. She wondered how many other militias had learned to save the harnessed children, and if they'd also had help from the Volm. She couldn't recall seeing any Volm presence on their way to the residential quarters, but she had a feeling they had only been exposed to a small part of the entire complex under so far.

Maggie dried her hair, surprised at how much longer it had gotten, and swept it into a ponytail. She opened the hygiene kit they'd assigned to her at "processing." Inside was a new toothbrush, a travel sized tooth paste, floss, feminine products, one disposable razor (she'd used the other one already), some deodorant, a small tube of body lotion, and tiny soap that reminded her of the soap she used to steal from motel rooms. She brushed her teeth, flossed, swiped on some deodorant, and stopped to look at her reflection. Her face looked strange to her, almost puffy, and definitely rounder.

Shrugging, she put the stuff back in the kit and walked through the doors. Ben sat outside the bathroom door, on the floor, in the hallway. "You didn't have to wait on me." She said, reaching down to pull him to his feet. He'd shaved his beard, and she realized how much younger he looked without it. Still, this was the Ben she remembered, the Ben she'd fallen in love with, and she liked seeing all of his face. He was dressed in military fatigues, and his gun was still strapped on.

"Just got here a minute ago. They have a doctor standing by to see you. Afterward, they'll take us to the radio room, and we can try to contact dad, find out about Hal..." His voice trailed off at the mention of his brother. Lately they had come to a sort of silent agreement, not to talk about Hal. It was just too painful, knowing what they'd done. Until earlier when Natalie told them - they weren't sure if anyone from the 2nd Mass had even survived. It had been a long time since they left Chinatown, much longer than they'd ever expected. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up into a kiss. "You look...hot."

She laughed, "That's because you haven't seen me in anything but fur and wool in weeks."

He released her a little, keeping his strong arms around her but letting her feet touch the ground. He reached a hand up and pushed a loose strand of hair out of her face. "Even in fur and wool, you're so beautiful, Maggie. I feel like the luckiest guy on planet earth, you know that right?" His eyes were locked on hers, smoky and intense.

She nodded, "We're both lucky." She pressed into him, and he took a step back, leaning against the wall.

A soldier turned into their hall a ways down, gave a little look at surprise upon seeing them, then turned and walking the opposite way, stopping to enter an apartment. "I can't believe you already found a doctor." She said, and they drew apart enough to start walking down the hall, though her hand was still wrapped in his.

"Some of us don't take forty five minute showers." He said, grinning at her.

She grinned back. "I know. It was bad, but I couldn't resist. Hot showers. I honestly thought they were a thing of the past."

"Me too," he said, "and I'm glad you stayed in as long as you did. Gave me time to find these." He pulled two chocolate bars out of his pocket, and handed her one.

Maggie froze, her eyes widened and she snatched the candy bar out of his hand. "How have you not eaten this already?" She asked, biting into one and getting almost dizzy at how amazing it tasted, literally melting in her mouth. "Sooo good..." she moaned.

Ben laughed, and opened his, taking a bite also. "Patience pays. That look what priceless."

They walked in silence, eating their chocolate. Maggie felt a sugar high coming on. "I might not be able to sleep after this."

Ben raised an eyebrow and glanced her way. "I can think of other ways to keep you occupied."

She smiled, feeling her face get hot. "Good point. Say we skip the doctor and head to our quarters."

"We haven't been assigned quarters yet."

"A closet?"

He laughed. "Are you trying to avoid getting checked out?"

"Who me?" She said, touching her chest. "I would never do that."

"I know you don't like doctors."

Maggie stiffened a little, swallowed the last bite of the candy bar, and shoved the wrapper in her pocket. "I don't mind Anne."

"Yeah. Hey, did you notice that laundry girl had spikes?"

Maggie nodded. "I did notice that. Kind of weird, they have a spike on laundry duty. Seems pretty wasteful."

"That's what I was thinking."

"You don't trust these people?"

Ben frowned, opened the door for them to pass into the next hallway. They were following signs - red circles with crosses on them. "It's not that I don't trust them. I don't think they're collaborators, but something does seem a little off to me. What do you think?"

She inhaled deeply, looking around as they were entering what looked like a lobby area. Two double doors across the room opened, and a woman dressed in scrubs came out, carrying a clipboard. "Barbara..." she said, looking up from her clipboard and smiling at Ben and Maggie. An older woman, one of the oldest survivors Maggie had seen in a long time, laid her magazine on a table, and stood up with the help of a cane.

"I think you're right," Maggie said, her eyes getting big as she took everything in.

"Can I help you?" The nurse asked them.

Ben nudged her in the side. "Oh, yes. Sorry. I'm Maggie. I guess I'm supposed to see the doctor."

"Oh, yes. Natalie called down. Just have a seat, and I will be with you in a minute." The nurse turned to assist the older woman through the double doors.

"This feels too much like a real hospital." Maggie said, following Ben over to a row of chairs. "I don't like it." She adjusted her guns and watched him remove his, and lean it against the chair next to him.

"It is a little more normal than I expected." Ben said, and he reached an arm around her shoulder. "I'm here with you, Maggie. I think everything will be fine, but if you don't want to do this, you don't have to." She loved that about Ben. He never pushed her into anything. But when he wanted her to do something, she just felt inherently compelled to do it, because she knew it would make him happy.

"It's fine. Just stay with me."

"Always." He replied.

He picked up a magazine and smirked. "Those Kardashian's - what will they do next...?"

Maggie started giggling. Ben made her laugh every single day. She wondered once if he had some sort of a personal quota, he'd never told her about. Even on their worst days, he would make her laugh at least once.

The nurse opened the door, and called her name. "Put that down, silly." She told him, and he picked up his gun, strapping it back on, and eliciting a nervous look from the nurse. They followed her through the double doors.

####

 **Ben:**

"You only have three spikes," Doctor Banik said. Maggie was in a hospital robe, and doctor Banik was examining her. The doctor; slim frame, dark skin, dark hair, pretty black eyes, had introduced herself to Maggie as the Acting Chief Resident of the Embassy.

Maggie pointed at him. "Ben gave me three of his."

The doctor turned, pushed her glasses down and looked over at him. "Ben Mason, yes?" The doctor said. "You were one of the first Dr. Glass took a harness off of, right? I would love to get a look at your spikes."

"How did you know about that?" He replied, tensing up.

The doctor laughed. "I've personally spoken with Dr. Glass twice in the last month. We've gone over notes, at great length. I just didn't realize you were the Ben Mason she told me about. The spinal transplant. You see, I knew Dr. Harris, and I even met your father and mother once before the invasion."

"Small world," he muttered. He had never liked Dr. Harris. Like his father, he tended to blame the doctor for his mother's death. "So that's how there are spike..uh...unharnessed kids here. Dr. Harris taught you the procedure?"

"Yes," she nodded, "Our paths crossed before he set off to the Boston area. I never saw him again after that."

"He's dead." Ben replied.

She nodded. "I know. It saddens me. He had a beautiful mind." She went back to examining Maggie but kept speaking. "We have seven special children here at the Embassy. There used to be more but..." her voice trailed off.

"But?" Maggie said.

"Huh?"

"You were about to tell us what happened to the other spike kids." Ben said, frowning.

"Oh, yes. Is that what you call them. An appropriate name, even if it does sound a little degrading."

"So what happened to them?" Ben asked.

Doctor Banik frowned. "We lost three to suicide, and two others wandered off. Currently, only three of the 'special' children are functional. The other four are kept in isolation, for their protection and ours."

Ben shot up out of his chair. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The doctor didn't look startled by his sudden movement. In fact, she didn't even flinch, "Oh sit down, Mr. Mason. I was a trauma surgeon in Afghanistan. Now this war. It's hard to get a reaction out of me. The children I will tell you about after. Let me concentrate on your wife now."

Ben crossed his arms over his chest, but took his seat again. "I'm not his wife," Maggie said, and he saw her blush. Even upset over the spike kids, he couldn't help the reaction his body had to her - she was so beautiful. And he wasn't quite sure he liked the way she stated she wasn't his wife. She wasn't, but it felt like she was.

The doctor took blood and urine, and left them alone while she went to bring the samples to the nurse. "Suicide?" Maggie asked, "They must not have been able to adjust to having the harnesses removed."

Ben nodded, watching her dress, and wishing she wasn't. "Exactly. Someone should have recognized what was happening, and helped them."

"Maybe there wasn't anyone who knew enough to do that. I mean, if you hadn't helped me learn how to function with mine, I'd have probably gone crazy too."

"What kind of leaders would allow three suicides? No one noticed these kids were in pain? It doesn't add up."

"Nothing about the spikes adds up, Ben. Look at us."

"True." He said, "I guess I need to chill out a little."

"Maybe just a little," she said, pinching her index and thumb finger together.

He got up and walked over to her. She was sitting on the hospital bed, her legs parted slightly. He fit his body in between them, putting his hands on her shoulders, "I guess I need a distraction."

"Well," she looked up, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You could start with a kiss."

He put a finger under her chin, lifted her face, and leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. He instantly felt warmth building inside him, and his kissed her harder, burying his fingers in her hair.

The door opened, and they broke apart, looking up at doctor Banik. The doctor gave them an amused smile, and went over to the counter, setting her chart down. Maggie gave him a little push, and he let her go. The doctor turned around. "Well, I think I know why you've been feeling sick lately, Margaret. I have the test results here. Could you give us a moment alone?" She said, looking at Ben.

"No," Maggie said, "I want him here. Tell us. Whatever it is, he needs to hear it too." The way she said it made Ben realize that she was worried about what he had been silently freaking out about, that the cancer was back.

"If you insist." Doctor Banik replied. "You're pregnant. About six weeks along. The emesis is actually morning sickness. Otherwise, you're healthy. Although, I would like to schedule an ultrasound."

"What?" Maggie said, and Ben felt like someone had just kicked him in the gut. Suddenly, it was difficult to breath. "I'm what?"

Doctor Banik smiled. "I know, in this world, it's hard to remember that we're still virile human beings capable of reproducing. But you are actually the fourth pregnancy this month. Seems being stuck in this cave has started a baby boom. You hadn't noticed that you were late?"

Ben looked at Maggie. She looked like she was in shock. "Um," she said, "I guess not. I just...didn't..."

"Didn't think about it. It's no wonder. You're out there, fighting for your life, not sure if you'll survive to see the next day, menstruation is the last thing on your mind."

"Are you sure?" Maggie asked, "I mean, couldn't it be a mistake?"

Doctor Banik shook her head. "We took blood and urine. The tests don't lie, dear."

"But, but...I was told I couldn't...I was told I was infertile." Maggie stated. Ben frowned. She'd never told him that. Not that it mattered, but it was a small surprise. He'd never even thought about having children.

"Perhaps the spikes healed you."

Maggie was breathing heavily. "I don't believe this...I don't believe it. I can't be..."

"I take it this is not something you two planned."

"Who would do that?" Maggie said, her voice raising, "Who would plan a pregnancy now?"

"Well, a lot of the couples that live here did."

Maggie looked shocked again, her face draining of all color. "Do you people have any idea what is going on in the rest of the world?" She asked. "Lexi..." Maggie said, her voice cutting off, and she looked over at Ben for the first time meeting his eyes.

Ben swallowed. "This isn't the same thing, Maggie."

"Like hell it isn't," she yelled, "It's worse. No one even understands what the spikes do to _us_. They've practically turned us into one person, Ben. What kind of baby are we going to get, when both of it's parents have spikes?"

He shook he head, reaching out to touch her but she knocked his hand away, "I want it out." Maggie stated. "I want it out of me. Now."

"But..." The doctor said.

"Doctor Banik, could you give us a minute please?" Ben asked. The doctor nodded sharply, grabbed the chart off the counter, and ducked out of the room.

####

 **A/N:** A little short, but I didn't have time to write more. Pope and Sara will be around a lot more in the next chapter - just wanted some special time to focus on "the lovebirds" for now. BIG thanks to Narutofanfic48, Happytalz, and llana1299 for reviewing Falling for Maggie. I hope I am keeping you interested! Your feedback is super motivating! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter Five:**

 **Ben:**

Long after the transmission ended, Ben studied the frozen blue image of his father on the Volm computer screen. It felt incredibly surreal, seeing his father like this after so long, because he'd truly believed Lexi and his dad were dead. That they'd died during the explosion on the lunar base. Losing his father had changed him, and now he wasn't sure how to react. There was his dad. Tom Mason. Alive and still fighting.

He sat back in the chair, vaguely aware of Natalie watching him. She would glance up every few minutes from the paperwork she was organizing. He couldn't see her, but he could hear her moving restlessly. Finally she cleared her throat. "They're calling the remaining pockets of human resistance, "Mason's Militias." She paused, and he didn't respond so she continued, "If anyone could possibly coordinate the militias, it's Tom Mason. We've heard about everything he's accomplished. It's amazing."

Ben turned, looked at her, and turned back to the computer. "Can you play it again?" He asked, his voice sounded faraway. He heard her sit the papers down, and then she appeared on his right, momentarily obscuring his vision of the screen, then walked away as the video started again. Ben sat forward, watching intently, paying much closer attention to his father's mannerisms. Tom Mason looked well enough. Tired and dirty, but otherwise unharmed.

It was the message at the end of the transmission that affected him the most. It made him apprehensive, although he didn't really understand why. "Finally," Tom Mason said, reaching for something in his pocket. "I know we've all lost someone. Several months ago, during a rebel skitter attack, we lost my son, Ben Mason." He held the thing in his pocket up to the screen. It was a creased, faded family portrait of the Mason family. He touched Ben's face with a dirty fingertip. "This is my son. This is Ben. If you've seen him, or you have any knowledge of his whereabouts, you know how to reach me. Ben," chills ran up Ben's spine. It seemed like his dad was looking right at him as he addressed him, "If you're watching this, come home. We need you, and we _all_ want you to come home safe." The transmission ended with Tom placing the old photograph back in his pocket.

 _We all want you to come home safe_. Ben heard the words repeating - over and over again - in his mind. "How old is this recording?" Ben asked.

"It started coming through about two weeks ago."

"Do we know the 2nd Mass's current location?"

She nodded. "Fayetteville, North Carolina. It's over three hundred miles from here."

Ben accepted the folder Natalie was handing to him. He opened it, and skimmed through most of the contents. A stack of typed transcripts of radio transmissions between the MHE and the 2nd Mass.

"Mason's put out a call to arms. He's asking for any fighters within a five hundred mile radius to join the 2nd Mass at their base in Fayetteville."

"Then what?" Ben asked, wondering why his father had lead the group to North Carolina in the first place. What was there?

"I believe he intends to march on Washington DC."

"What's in DC?"

"I'm not sure anyone knows. It's one of the few areas that is unobservable on the Volm maps. Listen, Ben. We want to join the fight. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. "The problem is ninety percent of us are civilians. They were relocated here shortly after the invasion. Most of them have never even held a gun."

Ben wanted to roll his eyes. There was no excusable reason for failing to train civilians during war time. Just like there was no excuse for the treatment - or lack thereof - of the spike kids. He had noticed a complete lack of military structure inside the bunker. "You have some fighters, though, right?" Ben remembered the soldiers that captured them, and seeing several others in and out of the entrance to the bunker.

"They came here with the Volm recon team who gave us this computer."

"And where are the Volm now?" Ben asked.

"They only stayed long enough to show us how to use the computer. Most of the human fighters left with them, but some stayed behind with us. None with a military background. They need training, and they need a leader."

Ben frowned. "How can I help, Natalie?"

The young woman pursed her lips, and took a deep breath. "I've personally spoken to your father on several occasions, and - although I respect and appreciate them - his goals are not in line with my own. The MHE has a responsibility to human sustainability. To the future. This place is a safe-haven, and in many ways - in my opinion - it is the only chance we have of a future. There are over three thousand human souls living in this bunker. One day, when the war is over, these people we're protecting will be the ones to repopulate the earth. Therefore, their survival is essential. Don't you see? No one seems to be thinking about the fact that we are facing extinction in the long term even if we manage to eradicate the alien occupation. Over ninety percent of the human population is gone. We have to think about our future as a species."

"But you said MHE wants to join the fight, Natalie."

"I do, but not by putting humanities future at risk."

"Then how?" Ben asked, holding out his hands.

She smiled. "That's where you come in." She handed him a sheet of paper. A list of one hundred names, five with asterisks beside them.

"What is this?"

"A list of volunteers. Some trained, some not. Ben, I'm asking you to help us form our own militia. I'll add another thirty to that list for you to train the same way - but they will stay in defense of this place. The five names with asterisks are the five remaining unharnessed children. They took a vote amongst themselves, and have asked to join you. Basically, I'm asking you to train these men to be fighters, and to lead them."

He swallowed hard. "For what purpose?"

She sat back. "Well, that is up to you. What was your plan before you arrived here?"

Ben narrowed his eyes. "Why do I have the feeling you already know?"

She smiled, "I'm sorry, you're right. I heard a rumor." She sighed, "That man is...well...let's just say he wouldn't integrate well into our culture. Anyways, it seems your friend Pope got a little drunk last night and was bragging about some mission to bring down an Espheni lab in Kansas, and retrieve an antidote for your brother, Hal Mason. But, according to our intel, someone already beat you to the punch."

Ben purged his mind of the images of what he wanted to do to Pope for having such a big mouth, and focused on what she was saying. "Show me."

Natalie stood up, and went over to the Volm computer. She started manipulating the dials. "This is a map displaying the real-time positions of the Espheni forces." She zoomed in on the laboratory in Kansas. "This entire area was taken out by a local militia a month ago. As you can see, the lab was destroyed in the blast."

Destroyed. No, Ben thought. That was Hal's only chance. Hot tears welled up in Ben's eyes. His felt frustrated rage and sorrow twisting in his stomach. After everything they'd been through, Hal was never going to wake up. "Are you okay, Ben?" Natalie asked.

He inhaled deeply, forcing his mind to focus. "My brother was in a coma induced by an Overlord. I had reason to believe that the only antidote was held in that laboratory." He sighed. "To be honest, it was the main reason we were headed to Kansas, to retrieve the cure and save Hal."

She nodded, and started talking really fast. "The thing is; when Tom Mason isn't available to communicate with us over the radio, he uses a proxy."

Ben was barely listening. If the lab was gone, everything they had done was for nothing. There was no way to save Hal. The thought made Ben's stomach turn. He'd put Maggie, Pope and Sara at risk and in harms way for nothing. They'd abandoned the 2nd Mass during a time when their assistance would have been greatly needed. They could have saved lives, helped the fight, but instead they had only been wasting time. And now they would probably end up going back empty handed.

"Ben..."

Natalie was looking at him, a curious expression on her face. "Did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry," he said, "I zoned out."

Ben wondered why she seemed - almost - happy. "The proxy's name is Hal. Hal Mason."

Ben cocked his head. "Excuse me?"

A smile burst across her face, as if she had been holding the expression in until this very moment. "Hal Mason is our 2nd contact when you're father is away from base. I've talked to him, myself, on the radio, recently."

"But...but that's not possible. He was..."

Natalie took the folder from him and flipped to the last page. "I thought you might have missed this one." She handed the paper to him, "See for yourself."

Ben read the transmission. It was a conversation between Natalie and someone listed as "Hal." The discussion was irrelevant, but what struck Ben was that Hal's half of the dialogue sounded like Hal. It was stuff he would say, inflections he would use. This wasn't a joke, or a trick. This proved that Natalie was telling him the truth. Somehow, Hal was no longer in the coma. Ben's eyes flicked up to the date. Three days ago.

####

 **Maggie:**

"So we aren't going to Kansas." Pope asserted, "There's going to be another Mason family reunion instead."

"No point in going to the Midwest now," Ben agreed, "there's been a call to arms. We're headed to North Carolina, as soon as we're ready."

Maggie watched them talking. Two days ago she would have been deeply involved in the conversation, but all she could now was think about the fact that Hal was awake, and she was pregnant with his brother's hybrid baby. She wrapped her arms around her midsection, and tried to settle her nerves down. Every since she'd let Ben convince her to wait to abort the baby until the doctors had had time to run some tests, she'd been deeply disturbed. Now with the news of Hal, she felt completely on edge, even worse than she had felt when she was first adjusting to the spikes.

"And this Natalie woman is just going to hand over the fighters and the weapons."

"They aren't fighters, yet." Ben answered, "With our help, hopefully, they will be soon."

"I don't know," Pope said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Sounds like more babysitting duty, only now we're babysitting for three hundred miles - some of which through mountains."

"Come on, babe," Sarah said, putting a hand on Pope's arm, "You trained me. I wasn't too much of a pain to travel with, was I?"

Pope put a hand around the back of her neck. "The worst kind of pain, actually."

"Hey," she smacked him.

Ben adjusted the gun on his shoulder, and met her eyes from across the room. He had worn a perpetually concerned expression since they'd found out about the pregnancy. She hated to worry him. She just wanted to move on, and the only way they could do that was to get the alien - growing inside her - out. "Maggie?" Ben asked, "What do you think about all of this?"

She inhaled, and tried to make her voice sound steady when she replied. "Of course, we have to go. The 2nd Mass is planning a major offensive in DC it sounds like. I, for one, don't want to miss it."

Pope laughed, "She's got a point there. If Mason's trying to gather the militias, they must be getting ready to go up against something big."

"It's been a while since you've killed a skitter, love." Sara pointed out.

"Too long," Pope said, "All right, we're in."

"Good," Ben said, "Now, about your drinking, Pope."

Maggie watched Pope stiffen, he narrowed his eyes. "You gonna lecture me too, Mason?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry," Sara said, stepping in front of Pope and putting her hands on his chest. "He already promised me he would stop. This jerk was talking about my g-spot, with a bunch of strangers, when I found him at the pub last night.

"I can't help it if it's an interesting topic," Pope said.

"Our plans, and our private discussions as a group are not 'interesting' topics, Pope," Ben said, "we still need to maintain a degree of secrecy. I think we can trust these people, but I'm still trying to figure out how they've made it this far - with this big of a population - and not been discovered by the aliens."

"Oh, I know." Sarah said, waving her hand. They all looked at her, puzzled. She laughed. "I was talking in the mess hall to that laundry girl, Zoe. She said the cold jams the enemy scanning devices so they have major problems trying to located the MHE's frequencies. Also, the bunker goes down another eight floors. Anytime their scouts get word of enemy in the area, they evacuate everyone to the bottom floor, and sit tight. So far, it's worked."

"I suppose if they're deep enough, it's possible." Maggie said, "Inconspicuous location, very little surface activity, the cold, all things together, it could work. But not forever..."

"Natalie has this master plan for repopulating the earth when the war is over."

"I think it's a good idea," Sara said, "someone should be focusing on what happens next."

"So what's our plan?" Asked Pope.

Ben took a deep breath. "First we train the people she's giving us. Would you mind putting together a training schedule, Pope? We start tomorrow. Maggie and I are going to talk to the spike kids. We'll handle their training personally."

"Didn't someone say that two of those kids went crazy." Sara asked.

"Yes," Maggie said, and her heart went out to them, "but they've been kept in isolation. Ben and I are hoping to help them adjust to the spikes, if that's still possible."

"I have to believe it is." Ben said, nodding. "They deserve a chance."

"And we could really use their help." Sara said, "If it hadn't been for you two, Pope and I would have never made it here. You saved our lives – on the way – countless times. I will feel much better if there are seven of you on this next trip."

Pope was looking at Sara like _she_ was crazy. They started to argue. Maggie met Ben's eyes. He jerked his head toward the door, and she nodded. She joined him in her quarters, across the hall from Sara's room. He shut the door behind him. Maggie went in and sat on the bed, holding her stomach. Ben came to stand in front of her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "How are you holding up?"

"Better," she lied, "Do you really think Hal is awake?"

She didn't miss the frown that appeared on his face at the mention of his brother. "Yes. I don't know how, but my guess is that whatever militia destroyed the lab, joined the effort in Fayetteville, and brought a supply of the antidote with them. Or else, they found some other stash that the Overlord I interrogated didn't know about."

"However it happened, it's good news," She replied. "Regardless of what's between the three of us, I'm happy to know he's okay."

"Me too," Ben said. He sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "How are you feeling?"

She looked over at him, and activated the spikes for the first time since he used them to calm her down after hearing about the baby. Ben stiffened and grabbed her hand, squeezing hard, as she let him feel what she was feeling. "My God, Maggie, why didn't you tell me?" He said, as she broke the connection.

"Ow," she said, glancing down at his hand on hers. Her fingers were turning blue from his grip.

"Oh sorry," he said, letting go of her. Maggie rubbed her hand, which stung as the blood rushed back into her fingers.

"I didn't say anything because I knew you wanted to see the transmission from your father." She realized Ben hadn't mentioned actually speaking to Tom, as Natalie said he could. "I thought you were going to speak with him."

Ben shook his head. "Communications are down. Apparently, there's a storm going on up there. Maggie, if I had known you were feeling this way I would have..."

She interrupted him. "What? You would have what? Told me it was okay to get the abortion? There is no easy answer here, Ben. Now that I've had time to think about it, I'm not sure I'm ready to give this baby up, without definitive proof that it's going to come out a monster like..." her voice faded off. She didn't want to say what she was about to say to him.

"Like Lexi." He said, and he looked over at her, his expression soft and understanding, when she expected him to be upset.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm sorry. I know you loved her. I loved her too."

"Natalie said dad told her Lexi died up there, that she gave her life to destroy the moon base."

"I know. She wasn't a monster," Maggie corrected herself, "I just meant, you know what I meant."

"Yes," Ben answered, "Of course I understand what you mean. And you know, Maggie," he reached up and touched her cheek, gently turning her to face him. "I haven't said this yet because I didn't really know how you felt, but now I do, and so I want you to know that I want this baby too. Until a couple days ago, I'd never really thought about being a dad, and while I agree this is awful timing, I'm sure it's something I want. But you have to know that I would never ask you to carry the child if you didn't want to, or if we discovered it was mutated because our spikes. Ultimately, I just want you to be happy and safe, whatever happens."

Maggie wiped her wet cheeks, and smiled at him. "You're such a romantic, Ben Mason."

"Oh yeah?" He asked playfully, "So what does that make you?"

"A realist," she said, her tone turning serious. "Look." She pulled up her shirt, and Ben gave a little gasp, going down on his knees in front of her, and touching her stomach. There was already a roundness to it that had not been there the night before.

"Are you supposed to be showing like this, already?"

She shook her head. "You shouldn't even be able to tell I'm pregnant."

"Come on," Ben said, standing up and grabbing her hand, "We're going to see Dr. Banik."

"I did already."

Ben froze, and turned to look at her. "You did?"

"Yes. I went while you were in with Natalie." She put her shirt down, and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"And?"

"And she examined me again, and took more blood and urine. Plus, she did a procedure."

"A procedure?" 

"She took blood from the fetus. To test."

"Did she have anything to say about you showing already?"

Maggie nodded. She'd been saving this part. "She said that she believes the baby is growing at an accelerated rate. She thinks I'm about four months along now."

Ben was pacing back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. "All right, so you've gained two months in two days."

"Exactly," Maggie stated, "With the abnormal growth rate, it's likely that the baby is..." she couldn't finish the sentence, couldn't condemn her own child like that.

"Alien," Ben said, "or a hybrid, like Lexi, at least."

"But how?" Maggie said, "Karen experimented on Lexi. She had access to your sister that she's never had to..." Maggie touched her stomach.

"It has to be the spikes. It's alien DNA, and it's part of us now. We have no idea how that ends. I think we're the first 'spike' couple."

She couldn't help but smile a little - even under the circumstances - when Ben labeled them as 'a couple.' Every since he'd found out about the baby, he'd been a little more possessive of her. Not anything close to how Hal had been, or how she imagined Hal would be if she was carrying his child, but still it was a little out of character for the Ben she knew. "Dr. Banik says I'm far enough a long to have an ultrasound now. She wants me to come back tomorrow."

"At the rate this is going, we aren't waiting," Ben stated. He hoisted his gun off the chair where he'd left it before they'd went to talk to Pope. He strapped it on, and came to take her hands. "We're doing this now."

"Okay," she said. She let him lead her out of the room and toward the medical ward. She had to admit, she'd wished doctor Banik wouldn't have put the test off another day too. The way the pregnancy was progressing, another day could mean another month of growth. Before too long, aborting the child - even if it was a 'monster' - would just be inhumane. It was partly why she'd been so anxious. Ben must have felt all that during the spike connection, and he wasn't going to let another day go by without knowing, one way or the other.

####

 **Ben:**

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mason. The doctor is with another patient at this time. Please...don't go in there."

Ben stalked past the nurse, and opened the door to Dr. Banik's examining room, and froze. An unharnessed child - no more than seven or eight years old - was lying on his stomach on the bed, and doctor Banik was running some kind of Volm device over the mutated skin around the child's spikes. A blue light was shining out of the end of the wand looking device. Doctor Banik looked up and frowned at him. "You're interrupting Alex's therapy session."

The child was apparently unconscious. He didn't stir at the door opening, or the sound of the doctor's voice. "What the hell are you doing?" Maggie asked, coming to stand beside Ben in the doorway.

"Shut the door behind you, and be quiet." The doctor said, gesturing for them to enter the room, "It's okay, Rose," Dr. Banik reassured the nurse they'd bypassed. "They can stay."

"What is going on here, doctor?" Ben asked. "What is that device?"

"It's a creation of the Volm. Supposedly it keeps the alien mutation from spreading across the skin."

"How did you get a hold of it?"

"The Volm has distributed them to medical staff at every militia location. They only recently created the device for this purpose. I was going to offer to perform the therapy on both of you. It takes multiple sessions, but eventually the mutated skin returns to normal. Watch." She concentrated the blue beam of light on a single spike, and gestured for them to get closer. Maggie edged along with him, and they bent over the child's body, watching - in awe - as the green, leather-like quality of the skin began to change, until the entire area around the spike appeared to be healthy, normal skin.

"That's amazing," Ben said, "How long does it last?"

"It should last forever."

"Does it affect their powers?"

The doctor shrugged, "Not as far as we know. Our spike kids are different from yours. They don't appear to posses your 'super-human' abilities."

"Of course they have them," Maggie stated, and Ben could hear the bitterness in her voice, "They've just never been shown how to use them."

"If you say so," the doctor asserted. "I am a doctor. I could care less about powers. My interest lies in healing them. Now we can finally do that."

"They'll still have spikes," Ben inquired.

"Yes, but they won't eventually turn into something else." The doctor gave them each a knowing look. So far, they didn't know what the leftover spikes would do, how far the skin mutation would spread, or what they would become if their entire bodies were covered in it. Ben had nightmares about it happening to him, and Maggie, one day. "Now, is there something I can help you with? I don't generally tolerate interruptions during these procedures. It's imperative that I concentrate."

"We want you to do the ultrasound today. Right now." Ben said.

The doctor glanced up at Maggie, before focusing on the boy again. "I thought you might be back today. "Okay. When I"m finished with Alex. Now go wait in the lobby."

They had expected a fight. He looked at Maggie. She nodded. "Okay, we'll wait out there. Thank you."

"I'm almost finished with this session. Give me twenty minutes." The doctor said, without looking up at them again.

Ben followed Maggie back out to the waiting room. The nurse shot them a dirty look, before disappearing into her office. "Not the best bed side manner, huh?" He asked.

"I kind of like her," Maggie said, "She's tough. I feel like she'll be honest with us, about the baby. Woah!"

Ben was startled by Maggie's sudden jerky movement, "What is it? What happened?"

Maggie was standing up, her hands on her stomach, staring down at it. "I don't know...I...I felt something move, and at the same time I heard a...like...whisper," she was gesturing toward her head now, "in my mind." She suddenly froze, took two steps toward Ben and grabbed his wrist. "Here." She said, and activated the spikes. _Maggie is getting more comfortable sharing through the spikes_ , he thought, before the barrage of feelings swept through him.

He heard the whisper, " _Mommy,_ " it sounded like, and then he felt the presence of someone else. A third entity. It wasn't just him and Maggie in the connection. Ben involuntarily tore his arm from Maggie's grip, ending the connection.

"I'm sorry," he said, panting, and leaning forward. "It's just..." he tried to catch his breath. Maggie took a step back, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I know, it was...a very weird feeling."

"Did you get the sense that the baby was there, in the connection, like it was trying to communicate with us through the spikes?" Ben asked, reaching out for her hand.

She hesitated for a moment, then let him pull her down into her lap. "If so, it's not a good thing, Ben." She whispered, though she simultaneously, and possibly without knowing, held her stomach - as if she was guarding it. "Our baby isn't normal."

Ben nodded, holding her tightly, and stroking her arm. "Being abnormal isn't necessarily a bad thing. Look at us."

"Lexi was unpredictable, and dangerous."

"People said the same things about me, when the 2nd Mass first found me."

Maggie reached up, and touched his face. "You know, I love you, Ben Mason, no matter what happens with the baby."

Ben felt a wave of adoration wash away the feelings of unease and concern. He could still, vividly, remember how it felt to be in love with her, when she didn't really even see him. And especially not as someone she might fall for. It wasn't difficult for him to feel those feelings again, because of the spikes. All he had to do was think of the memory, and he immediately felt the associated feelings. So, each and every moment, with Maggie he got to fall in love with her all over again, like it was a brand new thing. "I love you, Maggie." He said, wiping a strand of brown hair out of her eyes - the yellow color her hair used to be had almost all grown out. "thank you for giving me the chance to be a father, even if it doesn't work out." He almost said 'this time.' He wanted to say 'this time,' but he knew they wouldn't allow it to happen again, not unless there was some way to figure out how the spikes would change the baby's DNA.

She nodded, putting her hands on both sides of his face, and drawing him into a kiss. It was deep, passionate, and involved a lot of tongue. By the end of it, she had him in a state of hormonal red-alert, so he deposited her back into the seat next to him, and turned to catch a knowing smile cross her face. She knew exactly how to get him going. "Troublemaker." He said.

####

They watched the image on the screen, which just looked like a bunch of gray and black blobs to Ben. "So how long until you'll have the DNA test results?" Maggie asked Dr. Banik, who was working the ultrasound machine.

"With the advanced DNA testing equipment the Volm brought us, I was able to ascertain the results immediately. I've already reviewed them."

Ben sighed, knowing there was no point in yelling at the doctor. "You could have told us that earlier."

"When you were busting into my hospital room, disturbing a very meticulous process?" Dr. Banik replied, "Ah, here we go. Look." She pointed at the screen.

Ben felt his heart begin to pound. The spots on the screen had joined in the middle into the shape of a human baby, with actual arms and legs. He saw facial features, and the spinal bones. He heard sniffling, and looked over to see Maggie crying. Their eyes met, and she wiped at her cheeks, giving him a weak smile. "It looks so...normal." She finally said, her voice heavy and soft.

"He is," the doctor said, "for a sixteen week old fetus. The problem is, he is only eight weeks old."

Ben watched Maggie's eyes widen, and her mouth fell open. He frowned, and then it hit him. "Doctor," he said, touching the doctor's sleeve. "Did you just say 'he?' Did you refer to our baby as a 'he?'"

"Oh yes, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said, without asking you. I'm out of practice. But look here," she pointed to a smudge between the baby's legs. "It's a boy."

Maggie let out a small gasp. Ben gave the image on the screen one last look and went to the side of the bed by Maggie, leaning over to kiss her cheek. She turned and touched his face. "Somehow, I think I knew it was a boy." She whispered.

He nodded, afraid to speak for fear of her hearing the intense emotion he felt, in his voice. He straightened, reaching over to get her a tissue.

"Okay," Dr. Banik said, after taking some measurements on the screen, and printing a few sheets. "If you want to get cleaned up my nurse, Rose, will be with you in a minute. I'm going to take a look at these shots, cross-reference the DNA data we have, and I'll consult with you - in my office - as soon as you're dressed."

The doctor left the room. Maggie cleaned off her stomach, and got down from the bed, removing her robe, and grabbing her clothes. "You okay?" Ben asked, watching her dress.

She looked up. "Actually, I'm starving," she said. Ben laughed. She laughed a little too. "How about you?"

He nodded, touching his palms together, "As long as you're in my life, I'm good. Are you ready for this?"

She nodded, buttoning up her blouse. They found the nurse, Rose, in the office by the waiting room. She led them back into a disheveled office. Doctor Banik sat behind a large desk, covered in stacks of paperwork. "Here," she said, gesturing to the two chairs across from her. Ben and Maggie sat down, and Maggie slid her hand into his.

"All right," Doctor Banik said, "I have good news and news I don't quite understand."

"Lets start with the good, and work our way to the unknown." Ben stated, and he felt Maggie give his hand a little squeeze.

###

A/N: Hello fellow Falling Skies fans. Thank you for taking time to stop in, and read Falling for Maggie. I hope you're enjoying my version so far. More to come soon. Thanks again, everyone, for your kind reviews. It makes me want to work that much harder to weave you a good tale. :) -calliecolors


	6. Chapter 6

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter Six:**

 **Ben:**

"Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" The Boeing 747 loomed above them like a sleeping giant. Natalie had requested a private meeting with him. She'd surprised him by taking him to the surface, then in a jeep ride -with only two soldier escorts- to the aircraft warehouse, and runway. The plane was hidden inside the warehouse.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. A reward for completing the fighter's training, for helping us get stronger."

"Wait, Natalie. You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?" Ben clipped a thumb underneath his gun strap, and took another look at the monstrous aircraft.

She nodded, clasping her hands in front of her, and looking more girlish than he had ever seen her look. "If you're thinking that I'm going to let you take this baby to Fayetteville, then yes, that's what I'm saying, Ben."

"But why...how...I mean, we need a pilot first of all, and why would you let go of this large of an asset?"

She laughed. "That surprises you? I've donated over a hundred souls, and armed them all. I told you, Ben. The Embassy believes Tom Mason can win the war against the Espheni, and we want to help. You may think we're all cowards hiding in a hole, but what we're doing here...it's...it's so much bigger than that...I..."

Ben reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "Natalie. It's okay. I believe you, and I don't think you're all cowards. Not at all. What you're doing here, what you've accomplished, it's truly incredible. Relax, okay?"

She inhaled deeply, and then smiled. He dropped his hand from her shoulder. "Okay. One other thing." She gestured toward the fighter examining the plane, "Alex is a pilot. He can fly the plane."

"He can?" Ben looked at Alex with a new-found respect. He knew the fighter, though if he recalled correctly, Alex had only participated in the mandatory fighter training, and elected to skip the voluntary stuff. Ben remembered Pope mentioning the guy had an ego the size of Chicago.

Alex heard them talking, and turned to flash them a grin. He was about Ben's height, dressed in black fatigues and he did, sort of, exude confidence. "If you've got the fuel, I can fly her." He said, patting the belly of the plane. "No problem."

Ben was about to engage the fighter in a discussion about distance versus fuel storage, where they could land, where they would need to land, and etc. when they heard the radio on Natalie's belt come to life. "Nat," a crackling voice came over, "we've got a situation down here. The Doc wants you and Ben Mason down here stat. His wife...or girlfriend...or whatever...the blond spike girl...what's her name...anyways, she's in labor, or something." Ben didn't hear what else the voice on the radio said. He took off at a run toward the Bunker entrance.

####

"What's going on?" He said, bursting into the room Dr. Banik used for surgeries. "I thought she still had weeks to go."

Maggie was on the hospital bed, wires hooked to her arm, her hair was slicked back with sweat, and her gown was stuck to her skin. Her eyes were wild with pain, but she bit her lip and kept from calling out. Her stomach, round and large, like a basketball, was wrapped in straps with diodes on them. Dr. Banik was doing an ultrasound, and focused entirely on the screen. "Doctor," Ben shouted, coming to stand at Maggie's side and leaning in to wipe her hair out of her face, and feel if she had a fever.

"Yes, yes, Ben Mason, I heard you. As you know your son's growth rate is completely unprecedented and unpredictable."

"So you were guessing when you said she had weeks left."

"Yes. I was guessing. And before you throw a tantrum..."

Maggie howled, interrupting them. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Ben said, holding her hand through the contraction, even though it felt like his bones were being crushed. "Just breathe, baby, breathe. It's gong to be okay, it'll pass, breathe."

Finally Maggie's hand relaxed, and she fell back on the bed, panting. "Something's wrong..." she said, between breaths.

Ben turned to Dr. Banik. She was studying something on the screen and shaking her head. "He's breech," she stated. "I'm going to have to do an emergency c-section."

"A what?" Ben yelled, "No. No way. You're not set up for that, are you?"

"We'll make do. We have to," she said, "Rose," she yelled, "Get in here."

Maggie gave Ben's hand a little squeeze and he looked down, meeting her big, brown eyes. He felt the spikes glowing, and suddenly he heard a heart pounding in his ears. At first he thought it was his own, then Maggie's, but neither of their hearts should be pounding that fast. A ripping pain seared through Ben's stomach, like he'd swallowed liquid fire, and then he felt the connection break. Maggie was having another contraction.

 _It's happening now_ , Ben thought, _it's happening too fast_. "Get her prepped for a c-section," he heard the doctor giving the nurse instructions.

"Wait," Ben said, holding his hand out to them. "Stop. There's no time."

"But he's breech." Doctor Banik argued, "We could lose them both if she delivers naturally..."

Ben gestured for her to stop talking. He felt their eyes on him. He took a deep breath, and placed his hand on Maggie's swollen abdomen. Ben concentrated, and activated the spikes, intentionally leaving Maggie out of the connection. He couldn't be distracted by another contraction. He needed to maintain contact for as long as it took. _Turn, baby_ ," he thought, speaking silently, in his mind. _Turn yourself around_. Ben felt the creepy sensation of the other consciousness reaching out to him, except this time it wasn't scary, this time he could feel the baby's helplessness, and an odd, overwhelming sense of protectiveness came over him. I _'m here,_ he told the child. _That's it, turn, turn, turn, slowly now_. He could feel the baby moving underneath his palm, and he could vaguely sense Maggie shaking with pain, and Doctor Banik gasping, then yelling something.

"He's turning. My God, Rose, look, he's almost in perfect position now."

Ben spoke one last time in the baby's mind. _Almost there, son. Daddy's here with you. Just turn a little bit more...there..._ Ben lost the connection, his spikes shut down and he gasped, trying to catch his breath. He took his hand off Maggie's belly, and used the table to stabilize himself. He couldn't afford to pass out. Maggie was going to need him now.

####

 **Maggie:**

Watching Ben hold their son made every bit of the agonizing pain worth it. He stood beside the bed, his hoodied-arms curled around the precious bundle. He ran his hand along the baby's head, stroking his cheek, and it was working. The baby had finally stopped crying, and was falling asleep. "Wow," she said, adjusting in the bed, her whole body felt like it had been run over by a train. "You're amazing with him."

Ben looked up, for the first time in five minutes, and gave her a tired smile. "Maggie, _you_ are amazing. I don't know how to thank you for what you just went through."

She laughed. The medication the doc had given her was definitely kicking in, and she sort of felt like she was floating on a cloud. "He's beautiful, isn't he?"

Ben nodded and leaned over a little, so Maggie could reach up and touch her son's cheek. The infant had rosy peach skin, like sunset over a field of wheat, Ben's hair color - just a soft dusting of fine, downy, blond hairs, and eyes she couldn't even begin to describe. "He looks like me, doesn't he?" Ben said, "Except his nose, it's a perfect tiny replica of yours."

"He looks exactly like you," Maggie agreed, "and he looks normal, Ben. I can't help worrying about how fast he's going to change." She didn't want to ruin the moment but, even through the drug induced feeling of euphoria, anxiety twisted through her.

He smiled at her. "Give yourself a break, babe. We can worry about it tomorrow. For now, lets just enjoy him."

"You mean I'll sleep, and you'll enjoy him."

"Exactly. You need your rest. Doctors orders." Ben leaned over, careful not to dislodge the boy, and kissed her forehead. Then he bent enough for her to kiss the baby on the cheek.

"Do you have the bottle and everything?" She asked, as he sat down in the chair next to her bed, and turned off the lamp, casting the room in darkness.

Ben laughed, "Trust me, after the last three hours, I wouldn't go anywhere without that thing."

Maggie smiled, and closed her eyes. She finally let go, and let the pain-killers do their job.

####

When she woke up, the memory hit her before she even opened her eyes. Somehow, during all the chaos, she'd forgotten the way that Ben had communicated with the baby while it was still inside of her. The memory made all her sore spots tingle, as if her body was having it's own physical reaction to remembering. It was in the apex of her agony, that Ben had reached out and touched her stomach. She'd seen his spikes glow, but hadn't felt hers do the same. She'd experienced another contraction, while Ben stood, unmoving. She'd watched as the child, inside of her, had actually moved. _He turned_ , she thought, _he turned himself around_.

She opened her eyes, and waited for them to adjust to the dark room. She heard two people breathing deeply. As her eyes became used to the darkness, the shape of them came into view. Ben held the baby cradled against his chest, his legs stretched out in front of him, a bottle in one hand. The baby...the baby was looking right at her, and suddenly she felt her spikes activate. Her body was flung back against the bed, every muscle tensed, and she realized she was paralyzed. She couldn't move. Then it happened. Images of the moment she'd just been thinking about flashed through her mind. Except she felt her son's helplessness, and she felt him calm down, felt his heart rate actually slow down, as Ben reassured him, and she heard Ben's words echoing in the baby's head - and also in her own. " _Almost there, son. Daddy's here with you. Just turn a little bit more...there..."_

Ben stirred, and the connection broke. Maggie's body relaxed, finally, and she slumped in the bed, gasping, and grabbing the rails. "Maggie," Ben said, sitting up and dropping the bottle as he propped another arm under the baby.

"Ben," she said, reaching out for him. He stood, and strode across the room, his eyebrows scrunched with concern.

"Give him to me," she said, holding her arms out.

Ben blinked, and held the baby out to her. She took him, and saw he had fallen back asleep. She could see his eyeballs dancing behind his eyelids. R.E.M. sleep. "He shared memories with me." She said, sliding her index finger into the soft - velvet like curl of her son's tiny hand. She felt his grip tighten, slightly, around her finger.

"Really?" Ben said, rubbing his eyes, and looking at the monitor attached to her arm, "Just now, you mean?" He asked, with a yawn.

"Yes. He showed me what happened between you two, when you got him to turn around."

Ben frowned. "You're kidding me. You know about...but...why would he show you that? I mean...how?"

"I woke up and remembered it. I was thinking about it when he somehow...he must have somehow..." she let the words fall off, afraid to utter them out-loud.

"Read your mind." Ben said, stealing the words.

She sighed, "He looks normal, but he is far from it, Ben."

"That's okay. All it means, is that we'll be able to understand him better."

"He could be dangerous."

Ben shook his head. "No. He isn't. I can control the connection. We'll figure this out. It doesn't have to be a bad thing, Maggie."

She swallowed hard. "I want the doctor to run the tests, Ben. Right away. We need to know what we're dealing with."

Ben took a step forward, and leaned over them, looking down at the baby. "Try to relax. Think about it. Even Lexi wasn't harmful as an infant. Give him a chance, please, Maggie. Give us a chance."

"I'm not saying I won't. I'm saying I want the tests too. The more we know about this, the better. Doctor Banik could discover some new information that could help us figure this out." She hated being the one to say it, but she couldn't just pretend like the child wasn't different. Ben couldn't think that way either. They had to be realistic. They had to play things safe.

"Okay, okay," he said, holding up his hands, before running one through his hair. He looked nervous, and tired, and extremely concerned. She didn't want to be the one making him feel that way, but they couldn't ignore the truth. If the baby was another Lexi and people could die. They had to know. He dropped his hands in frustration. "I'll have doctor Banik prepare the tests, Maggie, I promise, but can we do one thing first?"

"What?" She said, checking the baby, and noticing it's diaper was definitely ready to be changed.

"Can we give our son a name?"

She looked up sharply, and her stomach knotted with guilt. She had been so caught up in the baby's abnormalities, that she hadn't even thought about what they were going to name him. She took a deep breath. Motherhood was not something she was familiar with, and she didn't even know if she was going to be good at it. "God, you're right," she laid the baby on her legs, and gestured for him to hand her the diapers and wipes, "Did you have something in mind? You sound like you have something in mind, Ben." She took the diapers and wipes from him.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, and shook his head. "Not really. You did all the work. You should name him." 

"Ben," she said, in a sing-song voice, "I know you've got something. Just say it. If I hate it, I'll veto it. Trust me."

He laughed, and stood back, watching her fumble with changing the baby. "Okay, it's stupid probably, but my dad's name is Thomas, and Hal's middle name is Thomas, so I was kind of thinking...you know...in honor of them..."

Maggie saw where he was going. Her heart swelled for him. Despite everything that had happened, despite the distance they'd put between themselves and the 2nd Mass, Ben was still thinking about his family. He was a family man. And she realized - for the first time - how much she respected him for that, and what a good father Ben would be. "Thomas." She repeated, taping the new diaper on, and sliding the baby's feet back into the soft pajama bottoms. "Welcome to the world Thomas Mason."

She looked up to catch Ben's lopsided grin, reserved only for his happiest moments. He shook his head, and color crept up in his cheeks. He cleared his throat, adjusting his weight, restlessly, from foot to foot. "What about a middle name?" He finally said.

"How about Edward? I hated my father, but my grand-father, Edward, was a good man."

"Thomas Edward Mason."

"Look," she said, and they watched as Thomas woke up, and his eyes blinked open. Maggie felt a sudden, and unexpected, surge of love for the little baby, stronger than anything she'd felt for him so far. In the back of her mind she had a thought. _Could this innocent looking baby really become a monster?_

####

 **Ben:**

"Is everything loaded on board?"

Alex nodded. "Passengers and cargo are loaded and ready to fly, sir."

"For the tenth time, Alex, you don't have to call me 'sir,'" Ben saw Maggie walking his way. In two weeks, she had lost all of the baby weight, and was looking like she had before the pregnancy again. Her old clothes fit, and she was dressed in them, including the guns in her shoulder holster. It was refreshing to see her in gear again for some reason. Sara was walking beside her, holding his son on her hip. In two weeks, the boy was the size of a two year old with blond curls, the identical color of Ben's, that hung, unchecked, to his shoulders. He was a normal sized toddler, but other than that nothing was normal about him. He had perfect bone structure, and every person who saw him called him 'the most beautiful baby' they'd ever seen. Ben had to admit, Thomas was, frankly, angelic. His energy was palpable, and anyone who came near him admitted to feeling a sense of euphoria, and joy, just from being in his presence. He was also speaking now, but only in one and two word sentences. _Mama. Dada. Eat. Drink. Happy. Sad._ Stuff like that, but still incredible. Dr. Banik had speculated, after running test after test, that Thomas's body and brain were growing at an accelerated rate due to his environment. He was evolving quicker, because his hybrid DNA recognized that the world was no longer a place for newborns, and infants. She speculated that Thomas' growth rate would eventually slow down, until it steadied out completely in his adolescence, when he was old enough for his survival to be more likely. "Run your final checks, pilot. We lift off in ten minutes." Ben told Alex.

"Yes sir," Alex said, then slapped Ben's back, "Sorry, Ben, I mean. It's a habit."

Ben headed over to Maggie, and drew her into a hug, then with his arm still around her shoulders, he turned to face Sara, "How's my boy?"

"Thomas is beautiful, and sweet, as ever," Sara replied, putting Thomas down because he was wiggling in her arms.

"Yeah, for now," Pope said, coming up behind them, and tossing a duffel bag on the last luggage try to be loaded in the cargo compartment. "Kid will probably be sporting a beard by Christmas."

"Not funny." Ben said, flashing Pope a warning look.

"Popo," a sweet voice said, and Ben watched, head shaking, as his baby son toddled over to Pope, and reached his chubby, dimpled arms up, indicating he wanted John Pope to pick him up.

Pope rolled his eyes and looked up at the roof of the warehouse. "Which one of you put the kid up to this?"

"No one, John," Sara said, looking over at him and Maggie.

Maggie shrugged, "Nope." 

Pope laughed, and reached down, swooping Thomas up onto his shoulders. "Kid has good taste, then."

Ben looked over and caught Maggie giving him an exasperated look, shaking her head. Neither of them could understand the boy's special affection for John Pope, of all people. "Don't ask me," she said, going to store her bags on the cargo cart with Sara.

Ben followed Pope up the ladder, watching as the older man was careful not to hit the baby's head on the hatch, as he ducked onto the plane. Ben waited for Maggie, and Sara, then waved over the guy's to shut the hatch, as he climbed the stairs. Last to board.

Once on board, going the opposite way as the others, he headed to the cockpit. Alex was in the pilot's seat, and a girl named Julia was messing with some dials in the co-pilot chair. She was the only other fighter who actually had some flight time logged before the invasion. "Everything set?" Ben asked.

"It's all good, Mason," Alex replied, "Why don't you take a seat, and leave the flying to me."

"If you're sure," Ben said, feeling nervous. He was putting the lives of his family in the hands of a cocky fighter, and that gave him a helpless feeling that he didn't like.

They both ignored him, seemingly forgetting he was standing there so he went to the back of the plane, in search of Maggie. He found her toward the back of the plane. Thomas was strapped in her lap. "I don't like this."

"Do you have a bad feeling?" Ben asked, taking his seat beside her, and buckling in.

She shrugged. "Not really. To be honest, I've never liked flying."

Thomas was laying back on her, watching the activity around them, yet Ben had a strange feeling that his son was also listening, intently, to their conversation. He held a finger up to his lips, and nodded toward the toddler. Maggie nodded in silent understanding. Neither of them wanted to scare the child. Ben sat back in the seat, and put his hand on top of Maggie's. "It's going to be okay."

"As long as we're together," she replied, "it will be."

"Dada," Thomas cried out, and suddenly sat up straight. "Dada." He leaned over and held his arms out to Ben.

"I think he wants you." Maggie told him, and unbuckled her seat-belt. Ben swallowed hard, drawing in a shaky breath, and tried to hide the emotion he felt. In a matter of a month, he'd found out he was going to be a dad, he'd watched his son being born, he'd rocked the child to sleep every night, and it felt like Thomas had been a part of his life forever. Ben couldn't stand the thought of something happening to Thomas, but he worried about it constantly. He knew Maggie did too. Between the two of them, they'd maybe clocked forty eight hours of sleep since the boy was born. And though they didn't require much sleep, they were both bordering on exhaustion.

Ben buckled them up. He took Maggie's hand in his right hand, and wrapped his arm around Thomas. "Dada," the boy said, patting Ben's chest, and smiling up at his mother, as his eyelids started to droop.

"Close your eyes," he whispered to Maggie. She gave him that knowing smile, and - for once - she did what she was told. She closed her eyes. And Ben closed his. He was on the verge of sleep, when he felt the plane begin it's trip down the runway. Sleep overtook him before it even took off.

####

"Mason, wake up. We've got a problem."

Ben stirred awake, rubbing his eyes. "What is it?" Pope was standing over him. He could feel the plane was still in the air.

"I'm told we've been circling near Fayetteville for a while. You tell me."

Maggie was waking up. She overhead Pope, and gestured for Thomas. Ben unbuckled, and handed her the sleeping baby. He stood up, and followed Pope to the cock-pit. "How long have we been here?" He asked.

"We arrived over an hour ago. One of the fighters pointed out that we were going in circles."

Pope stood aside for Ben to open the door to the cockpit. "Alex. What's up?" Ben said.

"Ben. Good. I was about to call for you. We were hoping not to disturb anyone. There's a storm over Fayetteville. It's obstructing my view of the airport. I can't land there. We're going to have to sit her down in that farmland, below us." He motioned toward some checkered looking shapes on the ground, outside of the window.

"Can't we just wait the storm out?" Pope said. "I don't like the idea of walking into the city."

"We can't. We're running low on fuel." Julia pointed out. "Down to the reserves actually. We need to land."

"All right," Ben said. "It sounds like we don't have a choice. Can you land this thing here?" Ben asked Alex.

"Me?" Alex asked, "Sure, in my sleep. No worries. Just get everyone ready. Things might get a little bumpy."

"Well great," Pope said, from behind Ben, "I guess we can all bend over and kiss our asses goodbye. I'm supposed to go out killing skitters."

"Shut up, Pope." Ben said, shoving him into the wall. "We can't freak people out. You have to stay calm right now."

"So we aren't going to tell them we're landing this tin can in a field?"

"How would that help?"

"Oh, I forgot, you Mason's have a problem with telling people the truth."

Ben smiled, and shook his head, "Only when telling them endangers them. You don't really want everyone panicking right now, do you?"

Pope sighed. "Whatever, kid. Let's just get everyone buckled in."

Ben made his way back to Maggie, quietly letting everyone on his way know that they were getting ready to land, telling them to buckle up. Maggie saw right through it. "We aren't landing in Fayetteville."

"What makes you think that?" Ben asked, sitting down next to her, and strapping himself in.

She shrugged. "Mother's intuition?"

"We're pretty much landing in a field." Ben said, dropping all pretenses. Maggie was one person he couldn't hide the truth from. "It's about to get interesting, Maggie."

"It's not like we could have checked the weather forecast ahead of time. It's no one's fault."

Ben looked over at her. "You're talking like this is it, or something."

"It could be."

He reached out, and started to massage the back of her neck with his hand. "If we crash, we might be able to protect him from the blast if we put him between us. If worst comes to worst, and we think it's going to happen, I'll unbuckle, and wrap my body around you two. We'll take the worst of the impact. With his superior DNA, he could survive." _Maybe even both of you_ , Ben thought, but of course, kept that part to himself.

###

 **Maggie:**

She felt the gravity go. It was a strange feeling, floating in the air, knowing the thin strip of fabric was the only thing holding her, and Thomas, in place, as the airplane careened out of control. The oxygen masks came down, and people started screaming. A luggage compartment broke open, and it's contents emptied into the cabin. Thomas was awake, and she could feel him shaking in her arms. She screamed Ben's name, and saw him look down at their son, convulsing in her lap.

Suddenly the plane evened out, the cabin pressure returned, her ears popped, and everything flyig around in the air, fell all at once. A woman got hit in the head with a suitcase, and another passenger was crying out in pain, somewhere further up on the plane. "Is everyone okay," Pope was yelling a few aisles up.

Thomas went still, and Maggie eyes went wide with terror. Then the boy yawned, and his eyes blinked open. "Mama?" He asked. Ben let out a breath that he'd apparently been holding in every since the seizure started. He sat forward and rubbed Thomas's back.

"Is he okay?"

"I think so," Maggie said.

The plane bumped once, twice, and then evened out, and they felt in taxing to a stop. "We made it" Ben said. "It's over."

Maggie couldn't help but grin at Ben's obvious relief. She noticed that he was shaking, and then she noticed that she was also trembling from head to foot. She felt Thomas, almost radiating heat, and he was the only person around who wasn't shaking - who seemed entirely unaffected by the near death experience. "I fly." He announced, sitting up and reaching out for his father. "I fly dada." He told Ben.

Their eyes met. The engine of the plane shut down. Everything went quiet. And they heard a familiar sound coming from outside the plane.

"Is that gun-shots?" Maggie asked Ben.

He nodded. "Get ready," he yelled, "arm yourselves. We have no idea what is waiting for us outside that hatch. I know you're all scared," he said, "I am too. But we've made it this far. Now you get to to fight for what you love." Ben's eyes met hers, intense with anticipation. God, she loved him, and the man that he'd become. She loved him more every day. She loved how much he loved their son. And how it showed in every tender exchange between them. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she would be in love with Ben Mason, until the day she died. She could only hope that today would not be that day.

###

 **A/N:** Thanks for hanging in there, if you've read this far. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your comments! Next chapter will be "another Mason family reunion." How do you think the 2nd Mass will react to Ben and Maggie's return? I'd love to hear your hopes and dreams for chapter seven, or just any thoughts you have, so far, about the story. I don't have a lot of time for revisions, so my work - on this particular story - is pretty rough. I'm really grateful for those of you willing to stick with the story, despite it's flaws.


	7. Chapter 7

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter Seven:**

 **Ben:**

He didn't quite have a handle on how the fighters would do in the field, until the day they landed the plane. Ben watched as the fighters eliminated the rogue skitters that had the other human's surrounded. The spike kids followed the escaped skitters into the trees, and Ben could vaguely sense them - through the spikes - chasing down the enemy, and killing them - one by one.

The surviving humans, the ones they had heard firing their weapons when they'd landed the plane, appeared one by one from the tree line. "Never thought I'd see an airplane like that land in the middle of a field." A scruffy looking man - holding a rifle - shouted. "You want to identify yourselves."

"I'm Ben Mason," he shouted back, "Second Mass. Who are you?" Ben yelled back.

The man's thick eye-brows raised, and he turned to exchange looks with the soldiers on his right and left. "We're the Second Mass. Outer patrol. You landed that bird a long way from base-camp, Ben Mason."

"There's a storm just south of here. Had to land here."

"And save your asses," Pope threw in, coming to stand next to him.

"Is everyone okay?" Ben asked, under his breath.

Pope nodded. "The spikes?"

"I can sense them. They've taken out the rest of the rogue skitters."

"Overlords?" Pope asked.

Ben shook his head. "I don't sense any in the area. Those skitters weren't under Overlord control."

"Yeah well, thanks, but we've been following those skitters for a week now, trying to track down the Overlord making them. You just interfered with our mission." The man shouted back to Pope.

"You're welcome," Ben said. If they hadn't "interfered" when they had, they'd be talking to dead men. "How far to camp?"

"You're a good two days walk away." The soldier replied. "I'm Harrison, I'm in charge here. Since our mission is apparently over, we'll be heading back to base. You can come with us if you want."

"Do you have a radio?"

The solder shook his head, and put his hands on his waist. "I did. Had to drop my bag when we got attacked. Not sure where that was, to be honest with you."

Ben sighed. It would have been nice to radio ahead, and let the others know they were okay, and coming with reinforcements. Also, his dad might want to send someone out to guard the plane, until they could get it refueled and, ultimately, to Fayetteville. As it was, it was left to him to assign some guards to stay behind. "We have some unloading to do," Ben called back. "Why don't you take a break, while we get organized, then we can all head out together."

The soldier seemed to be contemplating Ben's suggestion. He rubbed his furry chin. "Seeing as you're Tom Mason's long lost son, I think we'll stick around. Make sure you get back to camp okay. Yeah, we'll give you an hour to get ready."

Pope's eyes cut over, and they exchanged a look. Ben signaled to his fighters, who were quietly surrounding the alleged "Second Mass" soldiers. The fighters converged on the soldiers, and disarmed them quickly, and without much of a fight. "What the hell is going on?" Harrison demanded, surrendering his weapon to one of Ben's fighters.

"Sorry. Just a safety precaution. As soon as your story is confirmed, we'll let you go." Ben said. "Let's get everyone unloaded." He told Pope.

###

It took three hours to off-load all the passengers, get everyone organized, and carrying their fair share of weight. They were taking all of the weapons, and ammo, with them, and enough food and water for two days of travel, and leaving almost everything else behind. Ben had selected Daniel, his best spike kid, a black haired boy with a mischievous smile, and five of Pope's best fighters to stay behind and guard the plane, until someone could return and relieve them. At the last minute, Alex demanded to stay behind. "I can run some system diagnostics, get everything ready for the fuel you're bringing back." He asserted, rubbing his hand with a rag and stepping away from the electrical compartment he had opened on the plane's belly. "You _are_ bringing fuel back, right?"

"I'll tell you the same thing I told the others. I won't know for sure until I get into camp and find out where the Second Mass stands. Assuming they have fuel, and the vehicles to spare, we'll be back for you in a few days. If not, it could be longer. Long story, short, I can't make any promises, Alex. If you stay, you're on your own until we get back."

Alex nodded, glancing up at the plane. "I'll stay with her anyways. Natalie would have wanted me to."

"That's fair," Ben said, "We'll see you soon."

He walked over to where Maggie, Pope, and Sara were waiting for him. He wasn't surprised to see Thomas sleeping in Pope's arms. The five of them would walk at the back of the procession, along with two other spike kids, Zoe and the one that called himself Razor. Ben was undecided about whether or not they could trust the new people they'd saved about where to go, so they just headed north, toward the city, hoping to come across another patrol, closer in, with a radio.

Pope and Sara started walking a few paces ahead of her, and Ben. Maggie was quiet, her eyes on the woods around them. They were all on high alert. The entire area seemed like a good place for an enemy ambush, but Ben felt it was best to keep strength in numbers, rather than splitting up and sending fighters - who didn't know the terrain - ahead to scout. He wanted his group with him and, deep down, he knew it was because he needed them to protect his family. He couldn't let something happen to Thomas or Maggie, not this close to finally making it home. "Hey," Ben said, touching Maggie's shoulder and gently drawing her to a stop. He slowly pushed her hood down. "Your hair..."

Maggie gave him that shy smile, glancing up from under those big lashes. "What do you think?"

She'd cut it short, a few inches above her shoulders. The blonde was gone, and what was left was her natural color; a deep, chestnut hue, a color that suited her better, Ben thought. "It's great. It brings out those big, beautiful eyes," he said, swinging her into a bear hug. "Ouch."

"Sorry," she said, "You're going to have to get used to not grabbing me when I'm holding a rifle again."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to remember that next time."

She laughed. "It's nice, being outside again, isn't it? I was going stir crazy in that bunker."

"It's nice," Ben agreed, adjusting his own gun, "This will be _his_ first time out. He's going to freak when he wakes up."

Maggie froze. "I didn't even think about that." She put her hand up to her face, shaking her head.

"Hey," Ben said, "You've got a lot on your mind. I didn't think of it until just now either. You're so tense, Maggie. What's up?"

She relaxed a little, and drew the rifle behind her back. She stretched her arms out, and drew them in against her chest. "I mean, have you thought about what we're walking into, Ben? I've wanted to tell you for some time now, that my feelings about us, and Hal, and how we left...I'm still really conflicted."

"I have." He said. Hal and Maggie had never really broken up. Technically, what he and Maggie were doing, was cheating, no matter how he'd managed to blur the lines in his head. "Thought about it."

"I don't want him to hate you, Ben. I don't want to be the reason for that. You know? I mean, he's going to hate me, and I'll take that, own it, but I...I can't stand the idea of hurting him, and hurting you."

"Hey, catch up, you two," Pope yelled over his shoulder, about three hundred yards ahead.

"Does he not realize that I could be on his heels in five seconds?" Ben asked.

He turned to see a tear running down Maggie's cheek. "I'm sorry," he said. Stepping up to her, he wiped the tear away with his index finger.

"Ben, I still love Hal, too. It's different then how I felt about him before. It's different then how I feel about you, but it's still there...I just needed to let you know that before..."

Ben felt a twinge of pain flutter through his gut. It was an uncomfortable, unpleasant feeling, but it was tolerable, and he never lost sight of the fact that she had every right to feel that way. "I won't get in your way, Maggie, if you need time to decide. But I'm never going to stop feeling this way about you. I'm sealed to you, and I can't just cut that off." He put his hand over his heart, "If I was capable of doing it, I would have let you go a long time ago. I would have spared you all of this."

He took a step toward Pope and the others, hoping she would follow him. Hoping, beyond hope, that she didn't feel like she had to go into details about the things she felt for Hal. He felt a hand hook his elbow, and she pulled him back toward her, wrapping her arms up and around his neck, and she pressed her body against his. She stared into his eyes for a minute, before leaning up on her tip-toes, and brushing her lips against his. It was like flipping on a switch strong enough to power a city. A charge went through him, and he instantly longed for her, craved her. Just this simple exchange, set him on fire. He leaned down to kiss her more, and she drew her head back just enough to be out of reach...teasing him. He groaned and slid his arms up her back, lifting her off her feet and bringing their lips together. He tasted her, letting his tongue trace her lips.

They realized they had an audience at the same time. Ben slowly put her down, as they turned to see Pope and Sara standing a few feet away, Thomas stood between them, holding one of each of their hands, and swinging back and forth. "Look!" He shouted, pointing up at the sky. "Look blue."

"That's right, buddy," Maggie said, peeling herself off Ben. She gave him a look, and said, "I told you he was paying attention to that color and shape book we were reading."

Ben laughed, feeling their energy start to separate, as she drew away from him, as her hand slipped down his arm, and then she stopped, and curled her index finger around his, pulling him behind her, and over to Thomas. She let go of Ben's hand long enough to swoop Thomas up in her arms, and then he felt her hand slide back into his.

###

 **Maggie:**

"Is he asleep already?" She asked him, as he strolled toward the fire between their tent and Pope's. The fire-light lit his eyes, as usual, and she felt the warm waves of heat from the fire, bouncing off his electric energy as he approached. Ben didn't realize it, but his presence had a strong effect on the environment around him, and on her. She'd noticed it about him after spending a month underground getting to know him. He was getting stronger. The more training he did, the more he fine-tuned his powers, the more he seemed like a walking angel to Maggie. Like an otherworldly creature. She shook the word 'deity' out of her mind, but she had to admit – at least to herself – that _she_ worshiped him.

He sat down beside her, and pulled her into his arms, nodding at Pope and Sara lost in bantering that Maggie had managed to ignore for ten minutes. "Yeah, he was _so_ talkative." Ben said, his eyes dancing with amusement as he spoke, "He was telling me the names of everything in the tent, and there were these little bursts of words about all the stuff he saw today. He asked about you. I reminded him it was your night off. We were counting sheep. We got to ten and, literally, in mid-sentence, he passed out."

She loved hearing him talk about their son. Ben had surprised her by being a natural at fatherhood. He had this way with Thomas, that she didn't understand, but she felt blessed to be witness to, to simply be a part of. "He stayed awake all day. I expected him to take at-least one nap earlier."

"I think he's just over-stimulated. It's a lot for him to take in."

"So, kid, how far away do you think we are?" Pope asked, stretching his legs by the fire, and resting his arm behind Sara.

"The men we picked up say we'll be there by sundown tomorrow."

"And you believe them?" Pope asked.

Ben shrugged. "Not necessarily, but until we get closer, it's the only intel we have about the layout." Maggie knew Ben didn't like taking prisoners, let alone someone claiming to be part of the Second Mass, but he also had a hard time trusting anyone, with good reason. His choices became harder, and harder, everyday. It made her feel guilty for burdening him earlier in the day with her drama.

They heard some of the fighters laughing at a camp-fire nearby, and Sara sat up suddenly. "Oh, I almost forgot, you guys. Look what I stole from the bunker." She dug around in her jacket for a minute, before producing a pint of cheap vodka.

Pope put his hand on her head, and ruffled her hair. "I knew there was a reason I was keeping you around."

She swatted his hand as he grabbed for the bottle. "So, here's how it goes," Sara said, addressing the three of them. Maggie glanced over at Ben and saw him smiling a little, and she couldn't help but smile also. Being outside, under the stars, on a fairly warm night - with the fire - and the sound of their men around them, had a certain magical, nostalgic quality about it. She focused on what Sara was proposing. "Each person has to tell a secret about themselves, then take a shot, pass it on..yada, yada, you get the drift."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Ben was saying, "what with the long day tomorrow and..."

"You got something to hide, Mason?"

Ben''s grin widened at Pope calling him out. "Don't we all, Pope?"

"I find the Mason's have more secrets than most."

"No, no, no," Sara said, "this isn't getting turned into a pissing contest. I'm not talking about murder confessions, or deep, dark secrets. I mean funny things, sexy stuff, maybe an embarrassing moment or two, but let's keep it light, fellas."

Maggie laughed. "You aren't afraid of a little game, are you Ben?" She asked, digging her shoulder into his underarm.

"That's the spirit," Sara said, and passed Maggie the bottle.

Maggie accepted it. "Oh, am I going first?"

"Okay if she goes first, I'll play a few rounds." Ben said, giving her a daring look.

Maggie turned the bottle around in her hands. "Okay. I can't believe I'm telling you people this, but I was a dancer. I mean, I'm good at ballet. I was good enough to dance in New York City when I was fifteen." She didn't know why she said it, and hadn't been planning to, but it felt good to reveal something old about herself.

"You're kidding," Ben said.

"Mags a ballerina? Nooo," Pope was saying, and Sara put her hand over his mouth, blurring out the rest of what he was going to say.

She nodded. "No kidding." She felt herself blushing as Ben stared at her, clearly unable to conceal his shock.

"Prove it," Sara said, "Show us some moves."

Maggie frowned. "No way, that wasn't part of the deal."

"Prove it, prove it, prove it," Sara started chanting, rolling her finger in front of her, encouraging Ben and Pope to join in, and so they all started chanting. Maggie shook her head.

"Come on," Ben said, "you aren't afraid of a little game are you?"

He had her there. She was the one who had goaded him into playing. She bent down and unlaced her boots, "I get two shots for this," she said in reply to their cat calls. She stepped up, in her socks, onto the log Ben was sitting on. She started with a pirouette, spinning completely on one foot, into a croise with her legs crossed at an angle, she balanced on one, and crossed her other leg across it several times. She ended with an arabesque, a position on one leg with her other leg raised behind her body, and extended in a straight line. She bounced back down to both feet, amidst applause from the others. She laughed, and sat down by Ben, sliding her boots back on. "That was...seriously cool." Ben said, "Why didn't you tell me you could do that?"

"It's not necessarily something I want a bunch of people to know about me. I did it, for the game." She said, and hoped Pope wouldn't tell everyone they knew. Ben handed her the bottle. 

"Drink up, tiny dancer," Pope said.

She unscrewed the cap, sniffed, and took a big swig. It burned a bit going down, but in a good, familiar way. Sara made the motion for her to take another drink. She did, enjoying in the warm feeling in her chest. She passed the bottle to Ben. "You're turn, Mason."

He laughed, and took the bottle from her. "Actually. I've got a good one. This" he held up the bottle, "Will be my first time drink." Maggie cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very old.

"What? Seriously Ben," Sara said, "you never had a drink in camp?"

Ben shook his head. "I decided to wait until I was eighteen, and then there just never was a good time."

"Well, kid, you've got some catching up to do. Have two," Pope insisted.

Maggie laughed, with the others, as Ben took two big swigs, coughing from the first, but taking the second one like a man. "Gross," he said, standing up, and handing Pope the bottle.

The game was fun after that. Pope admitted to playing _Dungeons and Dragons_ as a kid, and Sara displayed her uncanny photographic memory. By the time they finished the bottle, Maggie worried she was going to have to carry Ben to bed, rather than the other way around. "This was a bad idea," he said, as she propped an arm under him and they made their way to the tent.

"Shhh, you'll wake Thomas up."

"Sorry, was I being loud?" Ben asked.

She laughed. "You're still being loud."

"Oh,' he whispered, "Maggie listen, about earlier."

"Not now, let's _not_ talk about it right now, Ben."

"It's just, I can't hide stuff from you, and it really makes me mad that you still have feelings for Hal. I know it shouldn't, but it does."

Maggie sighed. "Of course, it does. You wouldn't be human, if it didn't."

He pulled her to a stop, surprising her with a sudden burst of strength. "That's just it, isn't it? I'm not _just_ human, I'm more than that, and I should be able to control these feelings. I know, logically, you have every right to feel this way. And I don't want you to stop caring for Hal, it's just...it hurts that it's in that way."

"What way?" She asked, meeting his eyes, "I never told you exactly how I felt."

"You didn't have to. I could see it in your eyes. And you actually said you still love him."

She inhaled deeply, and intentionally brushed a finger against the spikes on his neck. "Let me show you."

Ben frowned. "Maggie, I don't want to..."

"Just shut up, and look, dummy." She activated the spikes, and showed him everything. She didn't hold anything back. It was now or never. Ben needed to know what it had been like for her and Hal, in the beginning, when they first met, and as their relationship progressed. She couldn't describe it all to him. He needed to see her feelings, for what they were, now. So she showed him everything, from the most tender moment, to times when she truly thought she hated his brother. She hoped he didn't hate her for showing him, but at least he'd know. She knew what it was like to doubt someone's feelings for her, and she wouldn't put Ben through that. Not when she could do something about it. Then she showed him the ugliest part of it all; the guilt that was eating away at her for coming between brothers, for falling in love with Ben when she was with Hal still, for everything that had happened since then. All the memories she had of Hal were overshadowed by the endless sea of guilt she had, in her heart, over what she'd done. It was enough to swallow her up, but then she felt Ben's empathy, and somehow he found her in the middle of all the guilt they shared. He started kissing her, and she drew him down to the mossy forest floor in front of the tent.

She laid her head on his arm, and felt him breathing hard under her. "Was that okay?" She asked.

"Sure," he said, "You know I'm a big fan of honesty."

"What do you think?" She put her hand on his chest, felt his heart beating quickly, slowing a little as he recovered from the spike connection.

"We aren't bad people, Maggie, and us being together isn't a bad thing." He put his hand on top of hers, over his heart. "I want you to be my wife."

It was her turn for a racing heart. She propped her head up on her elbow, and looked him in the eyes. "Are you proposing to me, Ben Mason?" She asked, "Was that some kind of post-apocalyptic proposal?"

He gave her a sly smile, and she saw him reach for something. When his hand reappeared something shiny, and gold as his hair, glinted in the moonlight. "I found this for you," He said, and she felt his heart speeding up again, and heard a tremor in his voice.

He drew her left hand out from under his, and slid the ring on her finger. It was a little big, but not loose enough to pass over her knuckle. She held it up in the light. It was a thick gold band, with a large heart-shaped diamond in the middle. "It's beautiful...thank you, and, yes. It's going to be complicated, but _yes_ a thousand times."

###

 **Ben:**

He blamed the flutter in his belly on two things; his excitement over the way Maggie kept looking at her ring when she thought no one was watching, and his apprehension over reuniting with the Second Mass. "Carry dada," Thomas yelled, and Ben welcomed the distraction, bending down to pick up his tiring son.

The boy's clothes were getting too small for him. Hopefully, they could find a clothing store somewhere in the city. He shifted his gun to the opposite side that he was carrying Thomas on, and looked up at the city. It loomed, seemingly abandoned, before them, like the ruins of some ancient, giant ghost town. "Heads up," Pope said, looking through a pair of binoculars. "Looks like we've got a welcoming party." He handed the binoculars to Ben.

Ben held the binoculars up, and looked through them. "See," Thomas shouted, trying to take them from him.

"Hold on, buddy, let daddy look first, then you can."

"The hell he can. Those are my best pair of binoculars."

Ben ignored Pope, and studied the zoomed in terrain. "Three humvees," he counted out, "one armed with a fifty cal. Is that...?" Did he just see a familiar face. Was that Anthony standing behind the gun?

"What?" Pope said. ""What do you see?"

"See, dada," Thomas demanded, grabbing at the binoculars. 

"Okay, okay," Ben said, giving in and putting the band around the boy's neck.

Pope sighed. "What did you see, Mason?" 

"Anthony. I saw Anthony. Those are our people, Pope. It's the Second Mass. I think we're home." He heard the fighters moving in behind him. "Hold steady. Keep them up, and stay tight, but no one fires without my order," Ben shouted.

"Did I hear you say you saw Anthony?" Maggie asked, stepping up next to him, her gun raised at the oncoming bloom of dust blown up by the vehicles.

"Help. See," Thomas yelled, getting frustrated as he tried to manage the big set of binoculars on his own.

"Yes," Ben told Maggie, "Here," he held the binoculars up to the boy's eyes.

"Trucks." Thomas said.

Maggie laughed. "You see trucks, my little prince?" She asked, and tousled his hair.

The trucks slowed as they approached, and cut their engines, coming to a stop within firing range. "Who goes there?" Someone shouted.

"The prodigal son has returned," Pope yelled back. Ben saw Maggie smack him out of the corner of her eye.

"Anthony," Ben yelled, "It's Ben, and Maggie, and..."

"Is that John Pope?" Anthony said, jumping off his vehicle, and running toward them, "Little Ben, and Maggie. We thought you guys were long dead. Skitter bait, you know?"

Pope walked forward, and rushed into a hug with Anthony. Pope slapped Anthony's back, then let go. "Maggie," Anthony said, grabbing her for a hug as well. He hugged Sara, then turned to Ben. He noticed Thomas, cocked his head, and looked back at Maggie, then back at Ben. "Oh lord," he said, "It's going to be an interesting night. Come on, let's get you people home safe."

"Hold on," Ben said, handing Thomas to Sara. "Do you have a radio? And we need someone to vouch for some fighters we came across a few miles back. We haven't seen them before, and weren't sure they were really with the Second Mass."

"Sure, I've got a radio, Ben," Anthony said, "But you're less than a mile from camp. Whatever you've got to say, you can be saying it, in person, in ten minutes. We'll load up as many people as we can in the other vehicles, and help the others walk in. You four can ride in my Humvee. Ride on in. Your dad would be pissed at me, if I let you wait."

Ben turned to Zoe and Razor, "We got this," Zoe said, and he saw her eyes flash curiously at Anthony, "Go see your family, sir."

Maggie touched Zoe's shoulder, "If you need anything, you know how to reach us. We'll see you in a couple hours."

Anthony lead them over to the Humvees. "This is Tom Mason's son. Take them to him, right away."

Ben climbed in the back seat with Maggie, Thomas on her lap, Sara next to her, and Pope - as they all suspected he would - rode behind the fifty cal. "Dada," Thomas was calling over the engine. Ben looked over to see Thomas holding his arms out for him.

"Traitor," Maggie teased, smiling, as she unbuckled, and handed Thomas to him.

Ben strapped the boy in on his lap, and put a hand on Maggie's thigh. Their long journey was almost over. They were almost home.

###

They passed through three outer walls which looked to be constructed from debris, and enormous, steel slabs. The third wall was the tallest, about four stories up, and men patroled on top of it, carrying guns. There were several guard towers, with large Volm modified weapons aimed at the skies. Fayetteville wasn't the dump that their last home had become. Sure, destruction was everywhere, but people were actually living in the buildings, and there were even some gardens up, here and there. Civilians and fighters, alike, walked the streets, stepping out of the way for the Humvee. They drove through what looked like a marketplace, with vendors exchanging goods. Finally they pulled up at a two story colonial like brick building surrounded by trees, in the middle of a square of sorts. Someone had spray-painted, "Fayetteville City Hall" on the sign out front, which used to bear the name of a church.

"What is this place?" Sara leaned forward, and asked the driver.

"HQ," the driver stated, "And the Mason's place of residence."

"Nice place," Sara said, gesturing to the entire compound.

"Didn't used to be so nice, ma'am," the driver replied, pulling the car to a stop in front of the step, "We lost sixteen men securing this block."

"I'm sorry," Sara said, and Ben noticed the memorial wall a few feet away, plastered with pictures. Candles burning on the ground in front of it.

The driver shrugged. "That was then. This is now. What can you do?"

"You can keep fighting, that's what," Sara answered, smiling at him.

Ben saw someone emerging from the front door, and his heart started to slam in his chest. Tom Mason, a little shaggy looking, a little worn for the wear, but real - heart and soul, was walking down the stairs, a puzzled look on his face – probably wondering why one of the Humvees had returned so quickly. Ben unbuckled his seat belt, opened the door, and - careful not to hit Thomas' head on the door frame, ducked out of the car. He stepped around the door, into his father's sight.

Tom came to an abrupt stop, and steadied himself on the railing. "Ben? Is that you, son?"

"Dad," Ben called. He adjusted his son's weight, and closed the gap between them, holding out an arm to hug Tom Mason. For just a moment, he let himself remember being a kid, waiting at the door for his dad to come home from work, and jumping into his arms the minute he crossed the threshold. He let himself feel that warm, comforting feeling that always made him feel safe, and reassured as a kid. A feeling that only his dad could give him. "I missed you, dad," he said, pulling back only when Thomas started to fuss. He felt hands on his back, and turned, to present Maggie to his father.

"Wow, Maggie, you look so different. I'm glad you made it." Tom said, giving her a genuine smile, and pulling her into a hug as well. "You guys are okay?" Tom said, holding both of them by the shoulders, "We thought...well, when I got back from the trip, and you were both gone, no one knew where you were...we waited, but after a while, we thought you were both..."

"Dead?" Pope asked, stepping up, and saluting Tom. "Not on my watch, Mason."

Tom cut his eyes over to Pope. "You've been with _him_ this whole time?" His dad asked him, shaking hands with Pope.

"We left to track down an Overlord. When we came back, everyone was gone. There was a message. We knew the Second Mass had escaped, and at the time, we believed Hal was in an Espheni induced coma. We had intel that told us we could find the cure at a lab in the Midwest. On the way there, we stumbled onto another militia. They knew about you guys, Fayetteville, and Hal...they said he woke up. So we came home."

Tom nodded slowly. "He is awake. The militia that destroyed that lab came here, and brought the antidote with them. Who's this?" Tom asked, gesturing toward Thomas.

"This," Ben said, "Is hard to explain."

His dad cocked his head, and raised an eyebrow. "He looks an awfully lot like a boy I once knew."

Ben swallowed. "Let's go inside, dad."

Pope chuckled. "Oh to be a fly on the wall for that conversation."

"Shut up, Pope," Maggie and Sara said in unison.

"Some things never change," Tom said, taking one last glance at Ben, and Thomas, before taking Ben by the shoulder and leading them up the stairs.

###

"You're telling me you have a hundred able-bodied fighters heading our way."

"They should be right behind us." Ben said, setting the drink of water on the table in front of him. "I wish I had more, but it's all The Embassy could spare."

"No, no," Tom answered, "it's incredible. Don't apologize, I'm just...still trying to wrap my head around all of this."

"We also have a jet. It needs fuel, but it's big. Big enough to seat a good three hundred people or more, if need be."

Ben watched his father taking it all in. Tom rubbed his hands together. Ben noticed that one hand was bandaged. Ann sat beside Tom, and Ben didn't miss the way her eyes followed Thomas as he toddled around the room, followed by Matt, naming off every object he saw. Dan Weaver stood by the door, still grinning, from ear to ear, after hearing of their return. Maggie sat next to him, and he could feel the tension rolling off of her. They hadn't touched each other since they'd entered the building.

The room was sparsely decorated. Hardwood floors, thread-bare oriental area rug, a fire in the fire-place, a large desk with stacks of paper, and maps spread across it. Candles burning everywhere, though the daylight was shining through the windows. No electricity meant burning candles day and night. "Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it. There's an elephant in the room." Ann stated, holding her hands up. Tom looked over at her, and reached out, taking one of her hands. Ben met his eyes. He knew his dad knew, but he was waiting for Ben to tell him.

"Thomas. Come here," Ben said. He saw his father's eyes light up with enlightenment, and he gave that slight, proud nod, his Adam's apple dipping.

"Dada," Thomas called, from behind the couch Tom and Ann were sitting on. 

"He's hiding," Matt said, crossing his arms, and pretending not to see the boy.

Ann craned her neck, trying to peer over the edge of the couch. "Dada. Find." Thomas called.

"You better do it," Maggie mumbled, nudging him a bit. "You know he won't come out until you do."

Ben pinched his lips together, and nodded. He stood, feeling their eyes on him, and walked around the back of the couch. "Aha," he said, making a big production out of finding Thomas, and he crouched behind the back of the couch. "Found you."

Thomas belly laughed, his entire face shining as bright as a star, and in that moment, Ben knew everything was going to be okay. "Come here," he said.

"Dada," Thomas yelled, attempting to run, and almost tumbling into the edge of the couch. Ben caught the boy before his head hit the sharp edge. Thomas cuddled into Ben's chest, and reached up, touching his cheek. Ben carried him around to where his Dad and Ann were sitting. He knelt down in front of them.

"Dad, this is Thomas Edward Mason, my son, and your grand-son. He's ours actually," he gestured to Maggie, who looked like she'd just seen a ghost, "Maggie's and mine."

"Oh Tom," Ann breathed, putting her hand up to her mouth, "So, he's..." she turned to look at Maggie, then back to Ben. "He's...like..."

"He's advanced, like Lexi, but also, nothing like her." Ben heard Maggie say, glad to hear her voice, to hear her taking part in telling them.

Thomas was watching them, and Ben could feel his son's curiosity about Tom and Ann. Ben waited. It took about ten seconds for Thomas to turn on the charm. He took Ben's hand in his two, tiny hands, and covered his little eyes with it. Then he peeked out, at Tom and Ann. He did this for ten seconds, before he couldn't stand them not reacting anymore. "Boo!" He said, and started giggling.

"He's..." Ann said, and Ben was surprised to see she was crying. "He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Tom, look at him."

"He looks just like you, Ben," Tom said, finally finding his voice. "I mean...the spitting image. I have an old photo album, I'll show you later. Can we hold him?"

He reached out to the boy. Thomas saw his grandfather's bandaged hand, and frowned. "Owie," he said, pointing at the hand.

"Yes," Tom said, his voice amused and tender, a voice Ben remembered from his own child hood. "It does hurt."

Thomas reached out for Tom, and Ben watched in awe, as his father took Thomas - tears in his eyes - and sat him between him and Ann on the couch. Ben tore his eyes from them, only for a moment, to look up at Maggie. He thought he saw moisture in her eyes, as well, and she quickly looked away, trying to hide the tears, and the blush creeping up her cheeks. 

"I'll be damned," Weaver said, stepping up, and putting an arm around Matt, "kids sure grow up fast these days."

"They have to," Ann said, running her hand through Thomas' hair. "It's evolution."

"Dad," Ben said, "Where's Hal?"

Tom looked up, the smile fading from his face. "I'm afraid he isn't here anymore, son."

Ben felt Maggie tense beside him. "What do you mean? You said he woke up, right? Where is he?"

"Damn fool put his name in the draw for the first recon team to D.C.," Weaver told them, when Tom didn't answer. "They aren't back yet."

"How long have they been gone?"

"Over two weeks." Tom said, and he didn't have to say another word. Ben heard it in his voice. Two weeks was too long.

###

 **A/N:** Special thanks to everyone who reviewed the last few chapters; Happytalz, Paul'sImprint1293, LightningBolt21, Narutofanfic48, and especially Rdk3 whose review seriously inspired this chapter. Your comments were so helpful, and sweet. Thank you! Please keep reviewing, guys! I'm totally serious when I tell you that your comments keep this story going! Things are about to get action-packed, and sexy, in the next chapter! I've got some surprises up my sleeve. Hope you all stay tuned, and keep telling me what you think! :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter Eight:**

 **Maggie:**

Thomas rested between them on the bed. He was lying on his stomach, his thumb in his mouth, his golden curls slightly moist with sweat, and his chubby cheeks a rosy red color. "Tom doesn't seem to have as much faith as Weaver does about Hal's unit coming back." Maggie noted. She lay on her side next to their son, her head propped on a pillow. They'd just managed to get the boy to sleep, and she was bringing up what was, obviously, pre-occupying them both.

"I noticed," he agreed with a sigh. He was sitting cross-legged, wearing black, baggy sweat-pants with no shirt, and she realized how pale his skin tone was compared to the warm, golden brown it was before they'd spent several months in a hole in the ground. His hair had grown so long, and almost touched his shoulders now. He bore that thoughtful look she'd become so accustomed to. A feeling of nostalgia surprised her, as she watched the way he carried himself. He was such a man now, and all the images of him as he was when she first met him – as a boy – were fading with time. She felt honored to have witnessed his transformation. Right now, he reminded her of his father, contemplative, quiet, as if there was some master plan dancing around in his head that the rest of them didn't know about. He looked up, and the look that crossed his face was so innocent that she felt almost ashamed of how much she wanted him. "He's changed a lot."

Maggie distracted her bodily urges with brushing a loose curl out of her son's face. He was so sweet when he was awake, but when he slept it was like she was watching over her own personal cherub. So beautiful, so much a mixture of her, and Ben, that she felt like her heart might, literally, explode just lying there watching him]. "Why do you think that is?"

Ben gave a small shrug, "I don't know if it was losing Lexi, or the possibility that Hal is gone, or if it's something else entirely."

Her heart went out to him. He didn't mention that perhaps his father was different because – up until earlier in the day – he thought he'd lost three children; Lexi, Hal, and Ben. Worry creased Ben's forehead when he spoke. "You'll talk to him tomorrow. Figure out what's going on."

"Yeah," he said, giving her a little smile, "2nd Mass." He said, looking around at the office – converted into a small apartment – they'd been assigned. "Home. I can't believe we made it."

"It seems a little surreal," she said.

He nodded, and stretched. "Do you want to take a walk?" He asked, "I saw a building or two back there we could scale."

She felt the smile grow across her face, like the way her belly grew warm at his pent up energy. He might be a man, but the spikes gave him the stamina, and resilience, of a teenager. "What about Thomas? " She asked, suddenly aware of her own energy. Anytime she was sitting still, the restlessness was silently bubbling at the seams. She'd just learned to control it, to ignore it, so she could appreciate slow, quiet times such as these. She climbed slowly out of bed – so as not to wake the sleeping boy – and lifted her arms above her head, stretching also.

"Matt's room is two doors down. I'll go get him while you get dressed." Ben stood up as well, grabbing his gray t-shirt off the floor. She couldn't help admiring the way his wash-board abs contracted as he pulled the shirt on. He changed out of the sweats and into a pair of black cargo pants, and slipped on his boots. Lastly, he removed his black hoodie from the doorknob, and put it on. "Hurry up, Maggie May; I have a surprise for you." He said, with an ornery grin and before she could question him, he ducked out of the room.

####

She was pacing back and forth, twisting the heart ring on her finger around and around, waiting for Ben to return. She'd dressed, brushed her hair, covered Thomas up, and now there was nothing to do but wait. Maggie tried not to think about what kind of "surprise" Ben could possibly have in store for her. They had only just arrived in camp, so whatever he had planned, couldn't be much. He'd mentioned scaling buildings, one of their old favorite past-times, but what kind of surprise could come along with jumping roofs? She heard footsteps and stopped, mid-pace, turning toward the door as it opened and Matt grinned at her. "Hey Maggie," he said, looking a little shy. Ben stepped in next, putting a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Hi Matt. Sorry we woke you up. You sure you don't mind watching him?" She asked.

"Wasn't asleep," he said, going over to sit in the chair next to Thomas, and pulling a comic book out of his coat pocket. "I was working on some modified tech with my girlfriend."

Maggie raised her eyebrows, "Girlfriend huh? We have missed a lot. What's her name?"

"Evelyn," Matt replied, opening his comic book, "You can meet her tomorrow, if you want."

"Of course," Maggie said. "If you need anything-"

Matt cut her off, "Dad and Ann are right down the hall. Dan's across the way. This is a family house, Maggie. He'll be fine."

"If he wakes up, his bottle's in the mini-fridge." Ben said, pointing at the tiny fridge the 2nd mass donated to them, powered by a small generator sitting on the deck outside their window.

"Isn't he a little old for a bottle?" Matt asked, looking over at Thomas.

Ben cocked his head, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I seem to recall a certain three year old who screamed for ten hours the first night his bottle was taken away."

Matt frowned. "Not me."

"Yes you," Ben said, "That was the night Mom took me and Hal bowling so we could get away from all the howling. You had everyone on edge."

"Everyone, but dad?" Matt asked, looking up at Ben.

Ben swallowed, looking a little less playful and a little more serious. "Is there something you want to tell me, Matt?"

"It's just…dad had this experience, in space. Some new alien talked to him, and she looked like mom, and she told him all of this crazy stuff was going to happen, told him to find his warrior, and stuff, and now he's different. I miss the old dad."

"Find his warrior?" Ben asked.

"New alien?" Maggie said, frowning. "What kind of new alien?"

Matt looked from her to Ben. "I don't really know much. Just what he told us, but you should talk to him. He's all about hate now, and accessing that hate so we can win the war." Matt was making his voice deep impersonating his dad, and gesturing with a tight fist in the air.

Maggie saw Ben's frown, the way he suddenly looked disturbed, and she saw he was getting ready to question Matt further. She stepped up, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go," she said, "We'll get filled in on everything tomorrow. We can talk to Ann."

"Try Weaver," Matt said, as he began to flip through his comic book, "Ann's for the whole thing as far as I can tell. She definitely isn't stopping dad from acting that way. At least Dan seems to be worried."

"Okay, Matt. And thanks," Ben said, giving his brother a weak smile. Maggie nudged him out of the room, and followed him down the hall, and out the front door of City Hall.

They didn't speak as they weaved through the defense walls in the courtyard, but she felt Ben take her hand, and subtly he began to lead the way. "So," she said, trying to sound indifferent, "where are you taking me, mysterious one?"

He grinned back at her, swinging their hands between them. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

She leaned in toward him, holding her other hand up and made a small gap between her thumb and fore-finger. "Maybe just a little," she teased.

She noticed him tightening and relaxing his other fist, the way he sometimes did when he was nervous. They took a turn down an alley lined with people drinking around fires. She smelled something cooking, and stale cigar smoke. A sign above a large tented area said, "Pub at the End o' the World."

"Nice name," she commented. "Wonder what that's about." She recognized some faces here and there. Fighters from before they'd parted ways with the 2nd Mass, and a few people from The Embassy clustered about. But there were a lot of people she didn't recognize as well. The sound of many voices raised in jolly singing could be heard from behind the tent fabric. There were some strange looking women standing outside the tent flaps, wearing very revealing dresses that their large breasts practically popped out of. One of them gave Ben the once over with her mascara soaked eyes, and Maggie felt a twinge of ire flicker in her belly. Ben looked sideways at her, and she could see he wasn't too happy about it either. Maggie didn't want to believe what she was seeing, but it was obvious what the women were. Hookers. Prostitutes in the 2nd Mass? Where was Ben taking her?

"How do you know your way around?" She asked, as he pulled her around another corner. The street was less crowded than the last one, and she could see where the electricity ended coming up ahead. The 2nd Mass only lit up a small chunk of the downtown Fayetteville area, otherwise everything surrounding it was dark.

Ben shrugged, "I looked at a map."

Then she saw something strange. Up ahead, in the dark area, was a tall building – entirely dark – with the exception of the roof which glowed with a strange blue light. Ben saw her looking, and she caught a mysterious smile cross his face, before it went blank. Sure enough, he lead her toward the building with the lit up roof. The closer she got, the more details she could see. The blue light was not coming from a single light, but from what – down where they walked – looked like tiny blue lights floating in mid-air. "What is that?" She asked, her face upturned as they were within a block of the tower.

"That's your surprise," Ben said, drawing her to a stop by gently wrapping his hand around her upper arm. "Maggie," he started, reaching out and cupping her face with his free hand. "Do you still want to marry me?"

Maggie swallowed, feeling her face heat up under his touch. Her eyes darted from his and up to the roof again. Did she hear faint music coming from the sky? Or was that her imagination? A racing, exhilarated feeling traveled from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. "Of course," she murmured, looking down to meet his deep brown eyes again. "Of course I do. But…" She looked back up at the roof, hoping it wasn't full of people. That was the last thing she wanted right now. "But-"

He inhaled deeply, and leaned in brushing his soft lips against hers, cutting her off. "Do you trust me?" He asked.

She glanced up again, butterflies beating their wings in her stomach. "Always." She replied, taking a deep breath.

"Come on then." He took her hand, and led her over to the fire-escape stairs that hung about twenty feet in the air. "Do you think you can make it?" He asked, and she could hear the teasing in his voice.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Do I detect doubt in your voice?"

He shrugged, glancing up at the fire-escape. "We're both out of practice."

She laughed, and then she crouched down, and pushed off with her leg muscles, feeling her feet leave the concrete, and after a moment in mid-air, her hands clasped onto the bottom rung. She pulled herself up to the next one, then climbed the rest of the way to the platform, hearing a small thud as Ben latched on beneath her. It felt good to climb the stairs all the way up, feel the burn in her muscles, and the cool night air in her lungs. By the time she reached the last platform to the top, Ben had caught up and she could feel his heat as he came to stand behind her.

The music was a little louder, and she recognized classical piano, and she could hear the murmuring whisper of voices above. Pope and Sara. They weren't speaking loud enough for her to hear at the range she was at, but she recognized their voices just the same. They were talking to else, but she didn't recognize the voice – only that it was female. Ben put his hand on her waist, and pressed his body into hers from behind. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Maggie." His lips were nuzzled in her hair, and the vibration of his voice so close to her sent a thrill right where she knew he intended it to.

She turned, placing her hands on his chest. "I do want to."

He smiled, "Okay," he gestured toward the final set of stairs, "Lead the way."

She gave him one final look, hoping it conveyed how much she loved him, and then turned to climb the stairs. As her head rose even with the edge of the roof, she inhaled sharply. The roof had been converted into a small outdoor chapel. Multiple strands of neon blue lights had been strung around, and above the chapel. Hundreds of candles burned from where she would step onto the roof over to where several people stood, making an aisle for them to walk down. Flower petals from various flowers were sprinkled in the aisle. Pope and Sara stood on both sides of the aisle. Standing between them was a pretty black woman, her head shaved, holding a bible, and smiling warmly toward Maggie as she climbed over the edge of the roof, and found her footing. "Told you they wouldn't take the inside stairs," she heard Pope telling Sara. "Hybrids," he muttered.

Ben swung a leg over the edge and remained sitting on the edge, staring at her. "What do you think?" He asked.

Maggie felt a lump forming in her throat. She reached up, sweeping a hand through her hair. "I think I'm under-dressed."

Ben smiled, and pointed over to a darker corner of the roof. She put her hands up to her mouth. A simple, long, white wedding dress was hanging on an oriental screen. "Ben," she whispered, dropping her hands, and not even bothering to stop the tears forming in her eyes, making her vision blurry, "How did you do all of this?"

"The dress, I brought back from The Embassy. The other stuff," he gestured toward the others, "I had help with."

She walked slowly over to the dress, and was almost afraid her hands were too dirty to touch it. The material was satin, and she had to pinch it between her fingers to be sure it was real. "I thought for a long time," Ben said, coming to stand beside her, "about what kind of wedding you would want. I didn't peg you for the church wedding type, and I didn't think you would want a bunch of people watching. You strike me as the silent, roof-top, wedding type of girl."

She laughed. "You know me so well."

"I like to think of getting to know you as my hobby in life." He replied. "Do you like the dress?"

With shaking hands she reached out and removed the gown from the hanger. She was afraid to tell him that she had never worn anything so pretty before, in her life. "I love it. Thank you."

"Okay, you can change behind the screen. Pope found a minister who agreed to perform the ceremony. We'll be waiting for you, when you're ready."

Maggie nodded, the lump in her throat was back again and she wasn't sure she could speak without breaking into sobs. She couldn't help feeling like she didn't deserve all of this; the lights, the music, the twinkling stars so close it felt like she could reach up and stir the starry sky, or Ben…thoughtful Ben, who had done it all for her. He leaned over, kissed her cheek, and slowly strolled away toward the end of the aisle, and the edge of the roof.

Gripping the dress in her trembling hands, she went around the screen and changed. Someone – probably Sara – had been kind enough to prop a cheap, dirty mirror against the wall. Maggie turned to look at her reflection. The dress fit her perfectly, accentuating her curves, with a high throat, but a low sloped open back that almost reached her underwear. It had a small train. This isn't real, she thought. Was she really standing on a roof-top, in a wedding dress, about to get married? It was the middle of the end of the world, and yet it was the most magical moment in her life. She retrieved a rubber band from her pocket, and swooped her hair up on top of her head in to a big bun, and drew out some of her bangs to frame her face. There, she thought. It isn't going to get any better than this.

All of the sudden it hit her that she didn't have any vows prepared. Wasn't that something a bride should have? She swallowed hard, feeling her breathing coming faster and faster. The nervousness was increasing as she wondered if Ben – who apparently thought of everything – had written vows for her. Everyone was waiting. There wasn't any time to think, and the words seemed elusive to her. What could she say? She took another deep breath, bringing her anxiety under control _. You can do this, Maggie,_ she told herself as she took one last look at her altered reflection.

She took a step around the edge of the partition, her eyes found Ben, and she felt all of her anxiety evaporate.

 **Ben:**

Seeing Maggie step out from behind the screen in the wedding dress he'd hidden away for her gave Ben hope for the world. If something as magnificent as Maggie's beauty could still exist in the war-torn world, he felt there must still be hope for them all. He breathed her name, as she came to stand next to him, and took her hand in his. "You look stunning."

"I cleaned up okay?" She asked him, and there was calm in her voice that soothed his own jumpy nerves.

"That is an understatement if I have ever heard one." He lifted his arm in a crook, "May I have the honor of escorting you down the aisle, my beautiful bride?"

She let go of his hand, and slid her arm through his, inclining her head forward a little. He led her slowly between the lines of glowing candles, and to where their witnesses and minister waited. He'd considered inviting his dad, and Ann, maybe even Weaver, but in the end he'd decided their wedding should reflect everything they'd been through together, and all the ways they'd fallen in love on the road. It wouldn't have felt right to choose anyone but Pope and Sara to witness their union, because he knew they were the only ones in camp who probably supported and understood it. Plus, he knew his bride-to-be well enough to know that she would want something small, intimate, and private.

Pope and Sara had gone above and beyond the call of duty with the decorations, and setting the atmosphere. They had agreed to pull a few things together, but the candles, the lights, the private space for Maggie to change into her dress, was so much more than he could have dreamed for. He nodded to Pope and Sara as they approached the trio awaiting them, hoping it would convey his appreciation. Sara was smiling, even though she kept dabbing her eyes with a rag. Pope looked a little amused, putting his hands behind his back and rocking back and forth a little, but he nodded back at Ben.

The minister began to speak, and Ben listened carefully, his eyes never leaving Maggie's, as he held her hands in his own. They felt so small, almost like a child's hands, but he knew how strong they were. When the time came for him to give his vows, he cleared his throat, gave her hands a squeeze, and said, "Maggie, I just want to tell you that you make this world a better place just by being who you are, and I'm so honored that you chose me. I've never been a religious person, but the fact that I can feel this happy in the midst of all this, is proof enough for me that a God exists. You give me hope, and the courage to keep fighting. I promise to live and die by your side, and to never stop loving you."

He let go of her hand long enough to reach up and wipe the tears off her cheeks. She pinched her lips together and inhaled deeply. "I've seen a lot, Ben," she said softly, looking down at their hands, her chin quivering a bit, "I've seen a lot, and I've done a lot of really bad things in my life. I'm not proud of some of my choices." She looked back up, and he searched her liquid brown eyes. Was she okay? "I feel like I didn't know what the right choices were, until I started to fall in love with you. Now I know. I choose you, Ben Mason. I choose you to live and die by my side, and I choose to never stop loving you either."

Her words moved him, and he inhaled raggedly, his throat thick with emotion. "Ben," the minister said, "Do you take Maggie to be your wife?"

"I do," he said, without hesitation.

"And Maggie, do you take Ben to be your husband?"

"Yes, I do," she replied, squeezing his fingers.

"Then by the power vested in me by the State of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

He leaned in, inhaling her smell, and gently pressed his lips to hers. They let go of each other's hands and she reached up and cupped the back of his neck with her hands, while he wrapped his arms around her back, and pulled her off the ground, and the kiss deepened until his entire body was tingling. As he sat her down, the sound of the others finally reached his ears, and he saw her look over at them, blush, and start to laugh.

Pope stepped forward to shake his hand, and he let go of Maggie, so she could hug Sara. "You know I've known Mags longer than anyone," Pope said, "And I've never seen her as happy as she is with you. I know Maggie and I have had our differences, but she still feels like the closest thing I've got to kin around here. She doesn't have a daddy or brother here to tell you, so I guess it falls to me. If you hurt her," Pope leaned in, and whispered, "I'll cut those big hybrid balls off."

Ben laughed, and put a hand on Pope's shoulder. "I would expect nothing less, my friend."

"I'm just telling it how it is," Pope said, laughing. They turned toward the ladies. Ben noticed that the minister had disappeared during the commotion.

"I want to show you something." Ben whispered in Maggie's ear. She gave him that curious smile, and he felt like his heart would melt.

He led her down the staircase to the top floor of the apartment complex, where the suites were. He went to the apartment Sara had prepared for them. The electricity was out, but there were candles everywhere, waiting to be lit. Ben went around and lit enough to give the room a warm, yellow illumination. Most of the furniture was gone, but there was a mattress, with clean sheets on the floor. Sara had spread flower petals on it. "Wow," Maggie said.

Ben gave a nervous laugh. "I'm just going to come out and tell you, Maggie. I've been fighting the urge to take that dress off you since you put it on." He went over to the cooler, opened it, retrieved the chilled bottle of champagne he'd asked Pope to stash there, pointed the bottle at the floor and popped the cork out.

"I thought you wanted me in the dress," she said, sitting down on the mattress, and patting the empty spot next to her.

"I did…I do…but I like what's underneath even more."

He sat down beside her, and handed her the bottle. "Couldn't find any fancy glasses," he admitted.

She laughed, took a swig, and handed it back to him – wiping her face with the back of her hand. "I'm seriously impressed you found champagne, and that it's actually cold."

"Borrowed it from The Embassy too," he confessed.

"You've been planning all of this since then," she said, accepting the bottle back from him.

He shrugged. "You could say I've been planning it for a lot longer than that, Maggie."

"I see," she said, "so why now?"

"Because with everything going on, I wasn't sure there was going to be another chance."

"What do you mean?"

"Well. I'm leaving tomorrow."

She sat frozen, in silence, for ten seconds, then she turned her entire body toward him, pulling the train of the dress up into her lap. "What did you just say?"

"I said I'm leaving."

She grabbed the shoulder of his jacket and forced him to turn and face her. "You think you're going to run off looking for him without me?"

He was a little taken aback by the intensity that had overcome her. He was hoping to get through telling her without telling her the truth of why he was going alone. Without telling her that he had to marry her before he walked away knowing he probably wouldn't make it back alive. "He's my brother. I have to do this, Maggie. I'm the only one-"

She cut him off, her voice raising an octave, "What about me? You don't think I owe this to Hal? After everything I've done to him, I'm just as responsible here as you are, Ben."

"Look," he said, trying to keep his voice calm and steady, "I don't want to fight with you right now. You asked me why I chose tonight for all of this. And I'm not going to start hiding things from you now. I wanted to marry you tonight because where I'm going, I might not be coming back from, and I can't walk away knowing I might not come back without making things official between us. You're my wife now, but that doesn't change things like this, Maggie. You'll always have a choice. You'd probably kick my ass if I attempted to force you to stay. I'll only ask you, humbly, to take the rest of the night to decide. The last thing in the world that I want to do is leave you, but there's only two of us, and one of us has to be here for Thomas. I admit you are just as capable, as I am, of going after Hal. But I was that kid once, Maggie, and I can tell you from personal experience that a boy losing his mom is the worst kind of hurt. I'm just asking you to think about it, before you kill me for doing all of this."

She sighed, and he watched her lovely features soften as he spoke. He put his hand around the back of her neck, and drew her head into his chest, rubbing her back. "I'll think about it," she said, straightening and meeting his eyes. "Right now, I want to think about something else." She leaned forward, giving him a delicious cleavage shot, and licked his earlobe, "After all, it is my wedding night."

He groaned, and raised his hand a little so that the back of his fingers softly grazed the fabric over her nipples, eliciting a groan from her as well. She pulled back, stood up, and slowly began to unzip the dress, revealing her lacy black bra, her ribs, the top of her panties, her hip, and then her thigh, and then she pulled the dress off, and stood before him. He got up, and came to stand in front of her. Reaching around her, brushing the skin on her ribs with his fingers, he expertly unclasped her bra, and let it hang loose on her while he trained his fingernails up her back, and over her shoulders, pushing the bra off. He felt her tremble as his finger trail continued down her chest and he bent to take her pretty pink nipple in his mouth, feeling her gasp. "I want you," he whispered.

####

 **Maggie:**

"I want you," he whispered in a husky voice that vibrated through her entire being.

She gave him a gentle nudge, unzipped his hoodie, and pulled his t-shirt off. His skin was taut over the muscles thick from months of travel, and training. Goosebumps rose on his chest. She unbuckled his belt, and unbuttoned his pants seeing the hardness she was so anxious to get to. They fell to his ankles, and he kicked them off. "Now we're even," she said, laughed, and gave him a little shove onto the bed, landing on top of him.

He surprised her by flipping her over onto her back, and sliding in between her legs. He pressed himself into her so hard it almost hurt, and then pushed up onto his hands, supporting his weight with his arms, and leaned in to kiss her. Eyes open, kissing Ben while he rubbed himself against her panties, was getting her so wet she could feel it soaking her. She moaned loudly, and reached around to grab his ass, tearing her nails into his skin, and pull him even harder against her. "I want you inside me," she begged. "Please."

Ben let out a ragged breath, leaned up on a knee, and ripped her panties off. She arched upward, needing to feel him enter her before she ripped apart. He pulled down his boxers, not bothering to kick them off, and she felt the head on her lips. Ben activated the spikes as he slid inside her, filling her up. It took everything she had to keep from having an orgasm then and there. He lay there for a moment, his eyes locked on her, his fingers twined in her hair, licking her neck, fondling her nipples as he gently moved in and out of her. "I love you, Mrs. Mason," he murmured, then he drew back and, took her by the wrists, raising them up above her head, before falling back down and into her, stroking as deep as he could go. Her nerves were on fire, and she begged him to do it again, but he teased her by slowing down and sucking on her nipples. She squeezed him with her thighs, and pushed him over, crawling on top of him. She rocked back and forth, feeling him shudder underneath her, feeling his hands grab her hips, and his nails digging into her. They came together in an explosion of warm pleasure that only hybrids could experience.

 **A/N:** Okay, so I lied in my last author's note. It wasn't as "action-packed" as I expected it to be, but I realized I wanted one more chapter of the sweet, fluffy stuff before we move on to some serious alien ass-kicking. I've got a little twist planned for the next chapter. Hope the readers enjoyed. Please, please keep reviewing so I will know you want to hear more. We fans have to stick together! Thanks for being here! ~~~calliecolors


	9. Chapter 9

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter Eight:**

 **Ben:**

"It's good to have you back, son," Tom said. He put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "There's something I want to show you. Come on."

He followed his father out of the war-room, down the hall to the stairwell. They went to the basement level, Tom opened the door and gestured for Ben to follow him through. The basement was dark, but Ben's heightened sight allowed him to see a large variety of Espheni tech spread, in parts, across several large tables. Tom reached up and pulled a string, turning on the overhead bulb. "We've gathered all of this from the surrounding area." Tom said, weaving between the tables to the far end of the room where Ben saw a large pyramid shaped object, glowing, pulsating a warm fiery orange glow. It reminded him of the substance from Lexi's Espheni cocoon.

"What is that?" He asked.

Tom's mouth gave a little twitch. "We aren't quite sure. Cochise has some ideas. We think it's important. We were hoping you might be able to help us figure it out."

Ben folded his arms over his chest. He could feel the power emanating from the pyramid. The object drew him in, and he took this as a sign that he shouldn't get too close. "What are Cochise's ideas?"

"They range from-"

Ben doubled over, feeling as if someone had just stabbed him in the stomach. His head was pounding, and a searing sensation felt like it was frying his brain. Images flashed through his mind of thousands of Espheni Overlords gathered in a black, mountainous, purgatory like terrain. The Espheni were gathered around the pyramid. The one closest to the object, reached out and touched it. There was a flash of light, and the overlord who was making contact with the pyramid vanished. The next one took two steps and also reached out, touching the device. He too disappeared.

Suddenly the visions were gone, and Ben crumbled to the floor, trying not to puke. "Ben, Ben, are you okay?" His father was kneeling beside him, and put a hand to his forehead, his forehead wrinkled with concern.

"Yeah," Ben told him, "Just a little dizzy. Here, help me sit up."

Tom put a hand under Ben's arm and pulled him up to a sitting position, his back against the wall. Ben raised his knees, and ran his hands through his hair. The negative effects of the connection were quickly fading, but he still felt like he had the worst flu of his life.

"Your spikes started glowing. I didn't know what to do. Is there an overlord nearby?"

Ben shook his head, swallowing hard. "That was a reaction to the pyramid," he nodded up at it, and shuddered involuntarily.

"I'm so sorry, son. I wouldn't have brought you down here, if I'd have known."

"I'm glad you did," Ben said, "I know what that thing is, dad."

"You saw something?" Tom asked, still kneeling down beside Ben.

"It's some kind of portal. I saw an army of Espheni. Thousands of them. They touch the pyramid, and it transports them somewhere."

Tom looked sharply over his shoulder at the object. "Matter transporter. The Volm thought it might be, but they haven't seen one before. We have to destroy it. And I need to tell the others about the army."

"Wait, dad," Ben said, holding up a hand. "They weren't traveling to this portal or they would already be here. What if we could use this to our advantage?"

Tom frowned. "I don't see how we can."

"I don't either, but maybe, now that we know what it is, we should have Cochise take another look at it. This could be the leverage we need to win the war. We need to study it more. We can't afford to destroy it. Not yet."

"Look at what it did to you, Ben," Tom said, "I can't have an open portal sitting in the middle of this camp. It's too dangerous. We'd be putting everyone at risk."

"War isn't without risk, dad. You of all people know that." Ben was still breathing heavily, but other than a stabbing headache the effects of his connection to the portal had waned completely.

Tom sighed, looking back at the device again. "You're right. I'll put it under heavy guard, and get a message to Cochise. We'll see what we can learn about it before we destroy it."

Ben nodded. "Dad, I need to talk to you about something."

"Come on," Tom said, nodding. He helped Ben to his feet and they went over to the other side of the room where they could sit on some chairs by a table of strange looking metal strips. Tom put one hand on the table, and the other on his leg. He wore a curious expression, as if he was trying to figure out what Ben wanted before he could tell him.

"Listen, dad. I've decided to go after Hal." He held a hand up as his father opened his mouth to speak. "I'll take two of the other spike kids, and we'll track Hal's team. With just the three of us going, we won't use up any of the 2nd Mass's resources, and we'll be fast. I could have Hal back here, safe, in a few days."

Tom patted his shoulder, and gave him a sad smile. "I haven't had the chance to tell you how proud I am of you for everything you've accomplished in your absence. The fighters, the weapons and ammo, the plane. When I left you were still sort of, a teenager, and now you're all grown up."

"Thanks dad," Ben said, giving a little shrug, "It was Natalie, at the Embassy, who made all of this possible."

"You lead those people, Ben. You kept Pope in line, and turned him into an asset, and, remember son, if you hadn't found the Embassy, Natalie wouldn't have had anyone to train her fighters in the first place. You have courage, integrity, and you're a natural leader. That's why I'm asking you to take my place here."

Ben was too shocked to speak. He felt certain that his dad was disappointed in him, both for what happened with Maggie, and for running off in the first place. "Dad…I don't know what to say…wait," Ben frowned, and cocked his head, "Matt mentioned that you've been acting weird lately. Is something wrong? What happened to you up there?"

Tom inhaled deeply. "I've made a telepathic connection with another alien race called the Dornia. They come to me in the form of your mother. I think it's a way for them to make me comfortable during the communication. They've helped us, given me warnings and clues through these visions. And they've told me what I need to do to find Hal. I've got to go to D.C., Ben. It has to me, not you. I leave tonight, and I'm going alone."

"No, dad," Ben said. He'd just found father, and couldn't stand the thought of losing him again. "How do you know these new aliens aren't leading you into a trap?"

"I don't," Tom said, leaning back and crossing his arms across his chest. "But there's something else I haven't told you. I'm sick, Ben. Cancer. Probably some kind of radiation breach while I was up there," he pointed a finger at the sky. I don't have much time, and before I die I need to know that all my children are alive, and safe. I'm going to go find Hal, and I'm going to bring him home."

Ben felt like someone was sitting on his chest. He swallowed the sob, and cleared his throat, hoping he could speak without giving away how it felt like his insides were being twisted. "How do you know this?"

"The Dornia told me. Ann confirmed it with tests."

"The spikes," Ben said, "they healed Maggie. They can heal you too."

Tom smiled weakly. "I'm afraid not. The Volm believe I'm too old, and the cancer has spread too far, for me to survive a spike transplant. I do have some good news, but it will require you to have a little faith, son."

"What's that?" Ben asked, unsure why he suddenly felt enraged, like he could pick up a car and throw it a mile.

"The Dornia are en route to our solar system. If I can hold out until they arrive, they claim to have healers that can cure me."

"Then stay here," Ben said, "Stay safe until they get here."

Tom shook his head. "While you were gone, Ben, I went on seventeen excursions to find you. One thing this invasion has taught me is that you can be split apart from the ones you love in the blink of an eye. My time leading these people is over, Ben. All that matters to me, now, is getting your brother back. I can't lead these people anymore, and I can't sit and wait for the Dornia to bring their cure. I have to fight, and the only way I know how to fight anymore is for the ones I love."

Ben glanced over at the Espheni Portal which still pulsated like a living organism. Where was the other portal going? To DC? Was it possible for him to travel through the portal to the one in the Espheni Shadow plane, then touch the other portal and instantly be transported to DC? Where Hal was most likely being held, if he was captured. He'd seen the Espheni map – the way the area over DC was blurred out. It made sense that Fayetteville had also been impossible to view. The two portals were located in the two major cities. He looked at his dad who was watching him intently. "I'm sorry, dad," Ben said, and he whipped his gun up, and knocked Tom in the head with the stock. He caught his father's body before it hit the ground, and eased him onto the floor. "But I have to do this."

Ben could sense his father was fine, but he checked his pulse anyways, just to be sure. When he was satisfied that his father would be fine, he stood and his eyes found the portal. He knew what he had to do, but all he could think about was that he might never see Maggie or Thomas again. The thought broke his heart. But if this one small act could end the war, and give the people he loved their world back, he thought his sacrifice would be justified.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the basement. It was now or never. He was within reach of the portal. He turned, catching a glimpse of her face as she appeared in the basement doorway, her smile fading into a look of confusion as she saw Tom's body on the floor. She looked up again. Their eyes met, he touched the portal, and everything went black.

###

 **Maggie:**

"What do you mean he's gone?" Maggie asked, bordering on shouting.

Tom held the gauze to his head while Ann wrapped a bandage around it. "I'm sorry, Maggie. The pyramid is some sort of portal, or teleportation device, and when he touched it, he transported wherever the other side goes. Ben said something about an Espheni army on the other side."

Maggie turned toward the device. "I'm going too," she said, taking a step toward it.

Tom was out of his chair in two seconds flat, and she felt his hand on her arm, stopping her. "I can't let you do that, Maggie. Ben would never forgive me."

"And you think you can stop me, Tom?" She asked, turning to face him. Ann pulled Tom back down into the chair.

"He's not stopping anyone right now." Ann said, finishing the bandaging. "Tom if you move again, I'll kill you myself."

"Maggie, please listen to reason," Tom begged, "If that was you, would you want Ben to follow you?"

She looked back at the portal, the image of him standing there and then touching it and vanishing flashing through her mind. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course not, but he'd do it anyways."

"I have to believe he has some sort of plan," Tom said, with a sigh. "We have to trust him."

Maggie decided to ignore Tom Mason. He probably didn't understand that nothing he said was going to convince her to stay. "Ann," she said, drawing the woman's attention. Ann met her eyes. "I need you to promise me that you'll take care of Thomas."

Ann finished Tom's bandage, and finally spoke. "Of course, Maggie."

"Ann," Tom said, giving her an incredulous look. "You're encouraging this?"

Ann cocked her head at him. "If you went through that thing, I would follow you."

"Guards," Tom yelled, but Ann put her hand over his mouth, cutting off the end of the word. Tom's eyes went wide, but he didn't struggle.

"Go," Ann said, "We'll keep Thomas safe."

Maggie nodded. She turned on her heels, ran the length of the room, and her hand was about to touch the portal when someone yelled "Stop!"

She hesitated, recognizing Cochise's voice. The alien was standing in the doorway where she'd been when Ben touched the pyramid. "I have to do this, Cochise." She said.

"If you touch it, you will die."

"But Ben touched it. He went through."

Cochise's head dropped for a moment, then he looked back up. "Then, I'm sorry, but Ben is dead."

###

"She hasn't spoken a word since Cochise told her," Ann whispered to whoever else was in the room. Maggie was lying on a cot in the medical ward, her back turned to them, listening. "That was three days ago. I can't get her to eat anything. I'm not sure what else to do."

"What about Thomas?" The other person asked, and she recognized Weaver's voice.

"I was afraid to bring him to see her. I'm not sure it will change anything, and I don't think he would understand why she's like this. It could be traumatizing."

She heard Weaver clear his throat. "Could be just what she needs to pull out of the grief."

"Maybe you're right. I'll bring him down after dinner. Any word from Cochise?"

"They moved the device to a safe location. They're studying it now. Say, mind if I give it a try?"

"Sure, help yourself, Dan," Ann replied, and Maggie could hear the exhaustion, and doubt in the doctor's tone.

Maggie felt Weaver walking slowly toward her. She didn't focus on him as he came into view, instead she continued to focus on the spot on the wall she'd been staring at for three days. The tears welled up in her eyes again, stinging her sore eyelids. She felt a shudder go through her body, and she resisted the urge to scream for the hundredth time. "Hey there girl," Weaver said, taking off his hat and holding it in his hands. "How you holdin' up?"

She focused on the spot, took control of her breathing and willed the tears to stop. She ignored Weaver, preferring to conjure up the image of Ben standing across from her at their rooftop wedding. Her insides contracted, and she pulled her knees further up to her chest. She had to hold herself together, even though it felt like she was ripping apart.

"Dat's okay," Weaver said, reaching out to pat her shoulder. "Don't have to say anything. Jus' listen to me, girl. I know it hurts. Feels like you got a big, gaping hole inside you, and no matter how hard you try, you can't fill it. We've all felt dat way, you know? Like you got nothin' left to live for anymore."

He was right. That was exactly what it felt like, only a thousand times worse. Losing Ben, losing the connection to him through the spikes, the emptiness was unfathomable. The loss of him had carved a cavern inside her and she had nothing left. She gave a tiny nod, telling Weaver he was right.

He smiled, and she saw him look up and nod at someone. Ann was probably standing out of her eye-sight, watching them. "But you do have something to live for, girl. You got your son, and you've got us. And the only way you're gonna feel better is if you keep fighting, and keep doing the good work Ben started. If you give up now, they win. Do you understand?"

Maggie thought about what he was saying. She wanted to agree. She wanted to tell him that he was right, but she was paralyzed, caged inside her own grief. The idea of pulling herself out was too much for her to think about. Besides, she was a ghost of her former self. There was nothing she could do for them. They might think they need her, but they didn't know that the old Maggie was gone, and all that was left was her shell. Still, if Ann brought Thomas down, Maggie couldn't stand the thought of him seeing her like she was. So instead of conjuring Ben in her mind, she conjured her son. The spikes connected suddenly, and Maggie gasped.

"What's happening?" Weaver asked, looking worriedly up at Ann.

 _Mommy_ , his sweet, little voice filled her head. _Mommy, I can't find daddy. Mommy, I want you_. Maggie began to shake, feeling every muscle in her body twitch, and contract. Thomas was moving her, through the connection, like a puppet. He was forcing her to sit up, put her legs over the edge of the cot, and stand. Weaver stood up so fast he knocked his chair over, and reached a hand out to steady her.

Weaver's touch broke the connection, and Maggie collapsed onto her butt on the cot. She was shaking so bad, that the metal legs of the cot were scraping lines into the concrete floor. "What happened?" Ann asked.

Maggie found her voice, surprised at how hoarse she was when she spoke. "It's Thomas," she said, "He knows about Ben. I have to go to him."

"Maggie," Ann said, "Are you sure you're ready for that. This is the first time you've spoken in three days. You need food, and more rest."

"I've rested long enough," Maggie said, regulating her breathing to stop the shaking. She stood again, waving off Weaver's hands, "Where are my weapons?"

"In Tom's office," Ann replied, "We weren't sure if…well…we were worried-"

Maggie interrupted her. "I'm not suicidal, Ann. Weaver's right. Thomas needs me. The 2nd Mass needs me. I'm ready."

She didn't miss the look the two of them shared. They didn't believe her. She narrowed her eyes. "I'll get them myself," she said, brushing past them, and toward the doors. She felt Weaver jogging to catch up with her.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked.

She ignored him, and pushed through the doors, shielding her eyes from the bright daylight. She saw everyone looking at her as she pushed past people, and weaved her way around obstacles, toward City Hall. "Maggie," someone yelled, and Sara emerged from a building. She ran over to Maggie. "I wanted to tell you how sorry we are, about what happened to…to-"

"Ben," Maggie said, stopping, and whirling on the woman. She glared at Sara. "I don't want to talk about him ever again," she raised her voice and yelled to everyone nearby, "I don't want to hear his name. The next person who says his name in front of me is going to lose their tongue."

She stamped up to the soldier guarding the front door of the city hall. "Let me pass," she said.

"I have orders not to let anyone in," the fighter replied, glancing over her shoulder at Weaver.

"Get out of her way, Mullen." Weaver commanded, "While you still can."

The guard reluctantly stepped aside. Maggie went up the steps, then stopped, and turned holding her hand out at Weaver and Sara. "Stay here" she told them.

Maggie had a plan. She couldn't get back what was taken from her, but she could punish the ones that took him. She could kill them all. And that was exactly what she intended to do.

###

 **Ben:**

The furnace blazed around him, and it took everything he had to lift his head and look around. Shadows, smoke, and fire. It was exactly how he'd pictured hell to be. He could feel blisters forming on his skin where it came in contact with the ground. He saw no Espheni. No alien army. He was utterly alone, and with each breath he could feel his insides searing. He realized he'd been wrong. Whatever the shadow plane was, it was not survivable for humans.

He'd assumed the portal back in Fayetteville would transport him to the place he'd seen in his mind, where the Espheni army was gathered, but he was wrong. And, whatever this place was that it had brought him to, there was no portal in sight. Somehow Ben knew that if he didn't have the spikes, he would be dead already, and if he didn't find shelter, he was going to die anyways.

Ben put his palms on the blackened ground beneath him, resisting the urge to scream as they began to burn. He pushed himself up to his knees, then – despite the waves of heat threatening to flatten him – he rose to his feet. He tried to keep his balance, by holding onto a large black rock beside him, but quickly pulled his hands away as they sizzled. He pulled off his shirt, ripped it in half with his teeth, and wrapped his hands. He tried to get an idea of the terrain around him, but small tornados of black smoke blocked his long range vision. The only thing he could see that might provide a sort of windbreak against the fire wind was a large outcropping of rocks several hundred feet away. He took a step toward it, feeling something holding him in place. He looked down. The soles of his shoes were melting to the ground.

Ben pulled as hard as he could, freeing his shoes, and started to run toward the rocky structure. Within minutes his lungs ached, and blisters popped up on his exposed skin. Running in the blazing conditions felt unnatural, like running hot water over a fresh burn. His instincts told him to stop running, to lie down, and rest. Ben knew that would be the end of him. But he also realized he wasn't going to make it to the rocks. He knelt down, and focused all his energy on what he was about to do. He activated the spikes, and simultaneously he sent all his power to his arms and legs and pushed off, leaping toward the rocks.

He landed bad, feeling his ankle twist unnaturally, and slammed into the razor sharp edge of the rock, shredding the skin on his shoulder. But it was better having the rocks at his back. The fire wind was still blowing into him, but at least it wasn't coming from all sides. He thought cool thoughts while he examined his left ankle. He determined it was sprained, but already healing, and then checked his shoulder. The scrape was deep, but it had stopped bleeding and was also healing.

Ben's eyes surveyed the large crop of rocks, noticing a thin fissure not far away. Careful to only touch the non-sharp parts of the stone, he used it as stability while he hopped the twenty feet to the split in the rock. The crack was big enough for him to fit, but he wished he had a flashlight. He had no way of knowing how far back the fissure went, or if something was inside.

He looked around at the hellish landscape. _If I stay out here I'll die_ , he thought. Tentatively, he wedged himself inside the gap scooting back only far enough to get out of the wind. He slid down the wall to where the gap was a little wider at the bottom, and laid his head back on the rock.

Ben was so thirsty. His tongue was dry and heavy, and even his spit was dried up. It was hard to swallow. His touched his lips, and they had the texture of cracking sand-paper. He touched his cheek, and hissed. Large blisters covered his face. He knew he should probably keep moving back, deeper into the hole. Maybe the fissure was a cave entrance. But he was too tired to do anything but lay there.

###

Ben's eyes flew open when he heard the sound of voices not far away, "Do you still feel the disturbance, Namast?" The first voice said. The speaker sounded male, and his voice was deep and buoyant, giving Ben the impression that he was young.

The second voice was harder to hear, and had a whiny edge to it that almost hurt Ben's ears. "An intruder is here, brother."

"But I sense nothing," the other said.

Shrill laughter made Ben cringe. "Use your other senses, Vayir."

"I still sense nothing."

Ben heard a sniffing sound. "I smell human sweat, and blood."

Ben tensed, willing his heartbeat to slow down for fear that it would alert them to his location. There was a moment of silence, before they spoke again. "But Namast, no human could survive the shadow plane. Perhaps the scent is leftover on your clothing, from your recent visit to earth."

"No," Namast sneered, "Something is amiss here."

Ben heard a sound like a horn blowing in the distance. The call was eerie and, strangely, he felt a little compelled to push out of the fissure, and follow the sound of the horn. "It's time, brother. Abandon this errand and join me for the battle on earth."

"I am not called to return to that filthy planet yet. Go yourself if you must."

"But Brother I-"

"Do not worry, Vayir. I will join you soon, and we will turn the earth to ash together."

Ben began to wedge himself further back into the crack, using the rock walls to guide him as the way was pitch black. He heard no more conversation from the Espheni trackers, but he sensed that one was still nearby. He kept moving, realizing that the deeper he got back the bigger – and cooler – the space got. He guessed the temperature was still over a hundred degrees, but compared to outside, it felt good. He thought he saw a light up ahead so he pushed forward using all his strength until finally he saw the crack narrow out into a large chamber. The source of the light was a pool of liquid in the middle of the room.

Ben staggered over to the pool, and sat down at the edge of it, getting a better look. He could see through the liquid. At the bottom of the pool was a glowing white stone. "What is this place?" He whispered.

"A fertilization chamber," a voice replied. Ben jumped away from the voice, looking frantically around for the source. And then he saw it. A lump of grey moved a little. His eyes traced a line up, and he saw why he hadn't noticed the creature before. Its skin was painted the same black color as the walls of the cave. It was Espheni, but there was something different about it. She was female.

"Who are you?" Ben asked, backing far enough away that he ran into the wall.

"I am Anim."

"You're one of them."

She raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "Yes, I am Espheni."

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for my master" she answered, with a shrug. He was surprised they were talking, and she wasn't trying to kill him through the spikes.

"Who is your master?"

"My master is a warrior who visits this plane from time to time on his travels. His name is irrelevant. You are hurt, and thirsty. Go ahead," she gestured toward the water, "drink."

Ben frowned. He wasn't walking into a trap that easily. "No thanks."

"It is okay, human. No harm will come to you in this chamber."

"Forgive me if I don't trust you." He replied, forcing his eyes away from the crystal clear water. How could he even be sure that's what it was, and not some kind of Espheni poison.

She sighed. "I have never met a human before, but I have heard of the stubbornness of your race."

"We didn't survive by falling into Espheni traps if that's what you mean."

She laughed. "This is no trap. I am a slave. I have no powers. Even if I wanted to kill you, I am probably the weaker of the two of us. You would win in a fight."

"A slave?"

She nodded, "Did you not know that they enslave their own?"

"Not really," he said, reaching down to rub his ankle which still throbbed occasionally.

"When I was a child, I was beautiful. My beauty was a curse. I was chosen, and trained in the art of giving pleasure, and sent here to live. I don't know how long ago that was."

"If that's true," Ben said, "How do you even know about us? Does your master gossip when he's finished?" He immediately regretted the comment. He probably wouldn't have said it, if he had known the reaction it would elicit from her.

She turned her head away, and refused to speak anymore. Eventually, hours later, Ben gave in and went to the side of the pool, dipped his hand in, and took a drink. It wasn't water, but it tasted good – a little like honey – and was very refreshing. He forced himself to stop after one drink and went back to his corner to wait and see what happened.

He was watching Anim, who was watching him, when he fell asleep.

###

He woke to the sound of someone coming down the passageway into the cave. He looked at Anim. She must have also heard the noise. She held a long finger up to her mouth. She stood up, and he was surprised to see that she was short – not much taller than he was – compared to her male counterparts. She came around the pool, and walked toward Ben holding up the grey blanket she'd been laying under. She covered him with the blanket. Ben could see light coming through a hole in the blanket, and positioned himself so he could peek through the hole.

Anim stood in the doorway of the cave, her arms crossed over her chest. Ben saw movement, and a young Espheni strode toward the entrance of the cave. "Stop," Anim said, holding up her hand.

The youth drew to a stop, a confused expression on his face. "Who are you?" He said, looking her over. He was no taller than she was, but he clearly suffered from an inflated ego, as did so many of the overlords that Ben had encountered.

"I am the property of Askar. You have entered the passageway to a fertilization chamber of another master. You are forbidden to enter, young one."

The youth looked around the chamber, his eyes passing over Ben without stopping. "My commander is outside. He was too large to enter himself, so he told me to. He believes a human is hiding out in here."

Anim's hands went to her cheeks, and she gave a little laugh. "He's toying with you. No human can survive in the shadow plane."

The warrior drew in a breath, sticking his chest out. "I was told to search the cave."

"Very well," Anim stepped aside and held out her hand, "But the rules are very strict. When Askar discovers you polluted this chamber, he will wonder what else you polluted, and he will likely kill us both."

The youth hesitated. "If I don't, what will I tell the commander? I have orders."

Anim seemed to be contemplating the question. "You see there is no human in this chamber, yes?"

He looked around, again, briefly and nodded. "Yes."

"Then tell him you found no human."

"Lie to him, you mean?"

"Not a lie. Besides, he sent you in as a trick. Is it not a well known fact that human beings, and most other species, cannot live in this place?"

"Well-"

"Make up your mind," she snapped, cutting him off. "Will you allow your commander's trickery to seal your death warrant, or will you simply tell him the truth?"

The youth nodded. "Very well. But beware, if my commander still thinks he's in there, he will contact your master, and request entry to this cave."

"I have nothing to hide from my master." Anim said, folding her hands together in a graceful motion.

The warrior nodded, gave the cave one final look, then turned and stalked into the dark passage. Ben pulled the blanket off his head, and inhaled the cooler air. "That was close."

Anim turned slowly, came to him, took the blanket, and went over to her corner of the cave, sliding down on the ground again. She ignored him, and stared at the pool of water. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier," Ben told her. "How was I supposed to know that there is such a thing as good Espheni? They committed genocide against my people, and they're doing everything they can to render humanity extinct."

She finally met his eyes. "I understand."

"Thank you for not giving me away. I'm Ben, by the way, Ben Mason."

She nodded acknowledgement. "I'm afraid I only postponed your demise, Ben Mason."

"Well," Ben said, "That's more than any Espheni has ever done for me before, and I'm grateful for the kindness."

She bowed her head, slightly, and looked away. "Can I ask you a question?" Ben said, finally.

"I suppose."

"Why don't you just escape?"

She turned her gaze on him. "Don't you think I would have if there was ever a chance?"

"What is preventing you from leaving?"

She pointed at the glowing white light at the bottom of the pool. "It produces an invisible energy field – which I cannot cross. If I did, it would kill me."

"But I crossed-"

She held up a hand, silencing him. "The twin to that orb is buried deep inside my chest. The force-field only works for me. No one ever worried about someone coming in and out because no one would ever, knowingly, intrude on an overlord's fertilization chamber. It's taboo."

Ben frowned. "What is a fertilization chamber?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

Ben blinked. "Tell me anyways."

She sighed, adjusting the blanket over her legs. "Only the most powerful of our kind can afford to keep a female in the shadow plane. There are very few places in this realm where survival is possible – over a long period of time – even for our kind. It is a benefit that only the highest in our courts receive. Those that have assimilated the most worlds shall have the gift of continuing their lineage. Askar is a prince. It was he who chose earth, and he leads the attack against your planet. Because of the horrors he has committed, he has me – and my two sisters – living in this realm, so that his chance of heirs is three times that of a normal warrior. So, in answer to your question, he uses me in this room in the hopes of impregnating me, and thereby strengthening his lineage."

Ben didn't want to feel compassion for Anim, but he couldn't help it. Besides, how could he blame her? Anim had no part in the invasion on earth. She was never given a vote. Before, he thought that Espheni were evil by nature, but Anim was making him question that. And if she was good, that meant others could be. Was it possible to achieve peace if he could speak with the right leaders, or was she the way she was because she'd been a slave all her life? "How long did you say you've been here?"

"I was taken – with my sisters – from my world and transported here to the shadow plane when I was a little one. I do not remember how old I was, nor do I know how long it has been since I came here."

"Have you…" he didn't know how to ask if she was a mother. "Um…do you have children?"

She shook her head. "I was taught a way to prevent that from happening, unless I want it to. Our mother's taught us how to stop it. Of course, it is illegal, and Askar would be within his rights to burn me alive, if he knew."

Several minutes passed in silence, as they both were lost in thought. "Anim?" Ben said finally, "I need to escape. I have a wife, and a child. I need to find a way back to them."

She pressed her lips together and looked at the glowing orb in the water, and he saw how sorrowful her eyes were as she gazed at the object responsible for her imprisonment. "I see in your eyes how much you love them, Ben Mason. Unfortunately, there is only one possible way you could escape, and you'll need my help. It's dangerous, extremely risky, and there is a low probability of success."

"Isn't there always?" He mumbled, sitting forward, intent on hearing her plan.

 **A/N:** This was a long one, but I really enjoyed writing it. I just want to say how grateful I am for all of the sweet reviews. You guys blow my mind with your awesome comments, and encouragement! I couldn't have kept this up this long without your support and motivation! Hopefully this Ben/Maggie OTP will start to gain some momentum. I would love to find more of this ship in the _Falling Skies_ category, wouldn't you? I will try to post again within a week. Thanks again! LOVE YOU ALL ~~calliecolors


	10. Chapter 10

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter Ten:**

 **Ben:**

"I'm sorry, I can't do that, Anim," he said. He knelt by the pool, and stared at the glowing orb of white light at the bottom of the pool. "There has to be some other way."

She gave a small nod, "That would be convenient, I admit, Ben Mason, but there isn't."

"I'm not a surgeon. What you're asking me to do, it's..I'm...I can't do it."

She gave a small groan. "It's a simple procedure. I would do it myself, but the stone prevents my hand from removing it."

"You could draw me a map," Ben said.

"No, Ben Mason. You would never find it. You would wander in the abyss until your blood started to boil, and then you would die."

"How far is your sister's place? I'm not sure you realize how fast I am."

She shook her head, and folded her long fingered hands across her lap. "Not fast enough. And if you show up at my sister's _place_ unannounced, she will kill you."

"You didn't."

Anim looked down at her hands, silent for a moment before answering. "Being my Master's consort is a great honor, Ben Mason, but I'm afraid I suffer from a rebellious spirit. My sister's do not share the same weakness."

"I wouldn't call it a weakness. And if they don't feel the same way, won't they kill me whether you're with me or not?"

"I will convince her."

Ben frowned. "And how long do you have after we remove the stone?"

Anim still wasn't looking at him. "Long enough to do what needs to be done."

"A day? A week? A year, what are we talking about?"

"In your time? Hours, Ben Mason, but it will be enough."

Ben stood up, crossed his arms over his chest and started pacing the dirt floor beside the pool. "I don't like this."

"You do not have to like it. You just have to like the alternative less."

"And what is that?"

"I told you. This is the only way. The alternative is you die, and you never see your family or your people again."

"And what happens to you?"

She glanced up at him. "It is thoughtful of you to be concerned. If you choose to remain here with me, my master will eventually discover us here and I will be burned alive as a traitor."

Ben inhaled deeply. A thought crossed his mind. "How many of your people are enslaved, like this, Anim?"

She cocked her head. "There are roughly one hundred slaves for every noble Espheni."

"And how many of them see their enslavement as an honor?"

Anim shifted, "I see where you are going with this line of questioning. Unfortunately, the enslaved will never revolt against their noble masters. It is not our way."

"If you could fight back, would you?"

She seemed to be considering his question. He watched the way the white orb reflected in the pool, and it strangely reminded him of the lights around the swimming pool – in his backyard – back home. He glanced back up at Anim. She sighed, and met his eyes. "Of course, I would. But I am the exception."

"What if you aren't? What if we could convince your sisters, and all the other slaves, to fight back. What would it take to communicate with them? To try to organize something?" She began to fidget, plucking invisible stuff off of the gray blanket she was so attached to. "Come on, Anim. I know there's something we can do."

"If we reach my sister, there is a way I could possibly send a message to someone. I could try to arrange a meeting, but it I cannot promise anything."

"You could send a message to someone you trust, you mean?"

She nodded. "My mother. She was unhappy that my sister's and I were chosen. We have spoken since then, and she has expressed some _concerns_ – on behalf of the enslaved – with the direction our leaders have taken us in. But remember, I can make you no promises, Ben Mason. Just initiating the meeting will be dangerous, and if it actually happens there is no guarantee that my people will not betray yours, in the end. I am only one."

"I understand," Ben gave a little nod, rubbing his hands together. For the first time since he got to the shadow plane, he felt a tiny glimmer of hope. "Is there any way we can avoid cutting you open?"

"The water will heal the wound. The problem is that the orb is attached to vital organs. The orb has a fail-safe. If it is removed, my body will go into organ failure. I will be able to travel, but I will grow weaker, and eventually die. But I will die anyways when my master returns, Ben Mason, and trust my words when I say this passage will be much less painful than the death I would be given at my master's hand. At least I will know my passage meant something."

Ben was touched by her willingness to sacrifice her life so that he could live. He realized suddenly how fond he had become of the Espheni woman, and if it wasn't for Maggie, and little Tom, he wouldn't even consider agreeing to her plan. He had to believe there would be some way to reverse the effects of surgically removing the orb from her body. "Okay," he said, a tremor in his voice, "tell me what I have to do."

She withdrew a sharp, metallic wand – looking device from her cloak, and held it out to him. With shaking hands, Ben accepted the crude looking knife.

###

 **Maggie:**

She sat on the wooden crate, arms crossed over her chest, and watched the men, and the Volm, studying the device. It took everything she had not to dive past them, and touch the portal. _Follow Ben, follow him_ , her instincts were screaming. But so far the major consensus from the wide variety of tests and experiments on the portal indicated that life – for anyone other than Espheni – in the shadow plane, was impossible. It had been described to her many times. Temperatures ranging from one hundred and sixty to two hundred degrees. Fire-storms, electrical storms, oceans of lava. She had heard it compared to hell more times than she could count on both hands.

She didn't care. She could still feel him all around her, inside her. She had to believe that if Ben was really dead, she would feel some kind of disconnect from him. But that wasn't the popular school of thought. She'd seen Tom for a couple of minutes earlier in the day, and he looked awful. He was already grieving for Ben. They all were. Everyone except her, and she just couldn't let him go. She wouldn't. That was a bridge Maggie couldn't cross. Not now, and maybe not ever. Not if she wanted to stay sane. Not if she wanted to get him back.

She hadn't tried to make a connection with the portal yet, but she could sense that the people working on it had been warned that she might. So far they hadn't kicked her out of the old barn – on the outskirts of town – that they'd converted into a testing area for the device, but she had a feeling her presence put them on edge, and it was only a matter of time. So she stayed back, hanging in the rafters, and keeping apprised on all of the test results.

Thomas was with Ann and Matt. Probably the best place for him. Being close to him was like pouring salt on a wound. He looked so much like Ben, and he had a tendency to get in her head to ask her questions. She couldn't get close to him or he might read her mind, and discover where his father really was. She hoped to keep that pain from him for as long as she could. Still, she missed him as much as she missed Ben. She knew how fast he changed, and she knew she was missing it. Ben wouldn't want his choice to end in Thomas losing both of his parents. She knew that, but it was still too soon. Maggie didn't have any idea how much time would have to go by before the idea of never seeing Ben again would be something she could live with. Maybe never, she thought.

The guard's at the door tensed up, and Maggie heard the sound of a vehicle approach. She peaked through the crack in the barn wall she'd established so she could see who was coming and going. It was one of their vehicles. It slowed to a stop, and Tom Mason got out, followed by two fighter escorts she didn't recognize. She sat back, watching him enter the barn. The first thing he did was glance up at her perch, and meet her eyes. She made no motion to indicate she was coming down. He gave her a weak smile, sighed, and went to talk to Dingaan and Cochise.

She barely listened in on their conversation. They were briefing him, and she already knew everything they were telling Tom. "How's she holding up?" She heard him ask Dingaan, and Maggie's ears perked up a bit, though she gave no outward sign of hearing.

Dingaan glanced up her way. He held his hands palm up, and gave a little shrug. "I wish I could tell you, Tom. She keeps to herself. How are you?"

Tom drew in a ragged breath. "Coping" he replied, "It would help if we had a breakthrough with this thing. How close are we to knowing, for sure, Cochise?"

The alien cocked his head, glanced from the machine, up to Maggie, then met Tom's eyes. "I'm not sure."

"Not good enough, friend," Tom rubbed his hands together, "I need to know something today. Now. We all," he gestured up to her, "need to know so we can say good...goodbye the proper way. We're running out of time."

Cochise put a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Based on the test results, my best guess is that a human could survive for, perhaps, two or three hours at most in the shadow plane."

 _Ben isn't just human_ , Maggie was thinking. "My son is stronger than most humans," Tom said, mirroring her thoughts, "that changes things, right?"

Cochise cocked his head again, and gave his head a little shake. "Even with his super human abilities, the temperatures alone would be overwhelming. I am deeply sorry, Tom. If we knew more about the shadow realm, if we knew for certain that there were safe areas, it might change his circumstances, but considering what we know to be true at this point, the chances that Ben has survived for this duration of time are highly unlikely, my friend."

Tom put a hand over his heart, and drew in a heavy sob. "I'm sorry," he said, holding a hand up to the other two men, "I need a minute."

Maggie's eyes filled with tears. Seeing Tom break down over Ben was more than she could stand. She jumped down off the beam she was perched on, and all eyes fell on her. Silence ensued. She turned to Ben's father. "We can't rule out the possibility that Ben is alive in there. You know what they know now. You have to let me go after him, Tom."

Tom pressed his lips together and shook his head. He swallowed hard, and reached both arms out toward her. Maggie stepped tentatively into his embrace. "I heard about the wedding," he said, when she pulled back – gently- from his embrace. "It might not be the best time, Maggie, but I wanted to let you know that the past is behind us, and you're family now. No matter what happens, you and my grand-son will always have a place-"

She held up a hand, cutting him off. "No." She told him. "Don't do that. I appreciate what you're saying, but don't talk like he's...he's gone. Okay?"

"Okay, Maggie," Tom replied, "But it's for my grandson that I can't let you touch that thing. He needs you. Thomas needs his mother. This is no world for a child to grow up in, especially without either of his parents."

"If the spikes saved Ben, they'll save me too."

"That's a big 'if' Maggie." Dingaan interjected.

"Look I'm sick of speculating. I'm sick of tests, experiments, and expert analysis. I've waited long enough." She began to remove her hoodie.

"Maggie. Don't do this. Please." Tom said, reaching for her arm. Maggie shrugged his touch away.

Dingaan made a move to stop her, and Maggie pulled her gun out of the holster, and aimed it at him. "I'm sorry," she said, stepping backward toward the portal, "I didn't want it to come to this."

Maggie heard movement behind her, and turned her gun on one of the men working on the machine whose hand was lingering over a gun lying on the table next to the device. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said.

"Maggie, please don't do this." Tom said.

"You know I have to, Tom." She edged toward the gun on the table, picked it up with her left hand, emptied the clip, and dropped it back on the table. She met Tom's eyes. "Tell my son I love him. Tell him I wanted to stay with him, but I couldn't give up on his daddy. It won't be long – growing up in this hell - before he'll understands what that means."

She sensed a vehicle approaching outside. One of the guards probably radioed for backup. It was now or never. "Ben wouldn't have wanted this. He wouldn't want you to die for him, Maggie." Tom still trying to convince her, of course.

She took another step toward the device. "I have to try. If he's alive, I'll bring him back." She told them, "I promise."

The barn door swung open, and Maggie held her hand over the portal, feeling heat pulsating up into her palm. "Wait," a familiar voice said.

They all looked over at the door. Hal stood in the doorway, casting a long shadow over the room. "Hal?" Tom said.

"Dad?" Hal looked from Maggie, training her gun on his father and the others, then back to his Tom. "What the hell is going on here?"

####

 **Ben:**

"How much further, Anim?" She was struggling to stand, and the longer they walked, the more she needed to lean on him for assistance.

She glanced up, then looked back down at her feet. "Do you see that structure?"

She was pointing at what looked like a black blob on the horizon. "Barely."

"It's a tower. My sister, Zyre, lives there."

"We can make that."

Anim's breathing was ragged. She drew in a raspy breath, and gave a little nod. "Does it hurt?" Ben asked her.

"The wound has healed, but my body is growing weaker."

"Come on," he said, getting a better grip under her arm, "lean on me a little more."

She accepted his assistance, and allowed him to set the pace. "It is truly astonishing, to me, Ben Mason, that you have survived this long in the shadow plane."

"Why do you think that is?" Ben asked.

He felt her glance at his spikes. "You have spinal implants. Modifications. I recognize the spikes. They made you one with them, but you resisted."

"I was harnessed," Ben said, "They put this creature on my back that controlled me. We removed it."

"I am familiar with the device you call a harness. It is an ancient bio-technology which was once used to enslave us. We have become so docile, it is no longer required."

Ben used his free hand to wipe sweat out of his eyes. "How do they choose who is the slave and who is the master?"

"I have read your histories. Your oligarchies determined who was in power based on lineage, through blood-lines, correct?"

"Yes, some did."

"It is similar to that. Some are low-born, and some are high-born, and there are complicated hierarchies within those categories. I am a low-born, but because of the family I come from, I am at the higher end of the low-born scale, hence the honorable position given to me."

"An honorable position you never wanted."

She sighed. "That is correct," she whispered, "I would not have chosen this life, had I ever been given a choice, Ben Mason."

Her breathing was getting more ragged by the minute, and when she inhaled he could hear a gurgling sound, like she was breathing through liquid. He had the feeling he needed to keep her talking. "Tell me about the life you would have chosen, Anim."

"I...I can't..." she said, and her legs collapsed beneath her. Ben caught her before she hit the ground, and hoisted her up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" She asked, attempting to struggle against him. Ben held firmly.

"You're dying for me," Ben said, "the least I can do is carry you the rest of the way."

She stopped struggling, and he shifted her weight a little before beginning again toward the structure in the distance. "Thank you," she said. "I would like to see my sister one last time."

"I'll get you there, Anim. I swear." And even though he was beginning to think it might be the last one he would ever make, he was determined to fulfill the promise before he took his last breath.

####

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed. I'm working toward ending this sometime in the next few chapters, but in the meantime I'd love to hear any thoughts you have about how you think it's going so far. It was fun bringing Hal back, and I'm looking forward to working on chapter eleven. I'm up way to late, and super tired, so I'll end my little note here. But not before thanking you for taking the time to read my story to this point. Hope you'll stick with me to the end! ~~CC


	11. Chapter 11

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter Eleven:**

 **Maggie:**

"You should get some sleep," Sara said, after a particularly long moment of silence. She sat her glass on the table, and gave Maggie the thousandth look of pity for the night.

Maggie glanced down at her glass. She still had at least half a glass of whiskey left, and she wanted to drink it. In fact, she wanted to drink the rest of the bottle. "You can go if you want." She told Sara, nodding toward the stairs.

"No, not if you aren't tired."

Maggie leaned her head against the wall, and smiled a little. "I don't really get tired." _Too far gone_ , she thought, _but not tired_.

"Oh yeah," Sara grinned, pouring herself another drink and resting back on the frayed couch, "sometimes I forget that you've got that super power DNA."

Maggie issued a weak smile. "Super powers? More like a curse."

"Oh?" Sara asked, tucking her socked feet up under herself.

Maggie looked up at the stars. She'd been silently wondering all night if the shadow plane was actually a real place, like a planet or maybe a star. If it was a planet, could it be seen from earth? Was she observing the very star that Ben had traveled to, and just didn't know it? Maybe one day, fifty or sixty years from now they would discover where the shadow plane existed, if it was another physical place or some kind of ethereal realm, but for now they could only speculate. With the existence of other alien beings in such constant question, wasn't anything possible?

"Earth to Maggie." Sara said, waving a hand. "Pope said you'd be a drag, but I defended you."

"Haha," Maggie replied, "I'm not sure why you bothered. I'm not going to the memorial."

"Maggie," Sara said, absentmindedly tearing the label off the bottle of whiskey. "I'm not going to push you to go. I admit your family is hoping you'll be there, but I'm here as a friend. All I want to do is be here for you. Is that okay?"

Maggie swallowed the lump building in her throat. She'd never had many female friends. Her closest confidants had always been male. And she was okay with that before, and after, the invasion, but it touched her that Sara was willing to just listen, that she wasn't going to try to rush things with Maggie like everyone else was. "Of course," Maggie mumbled, "I'm glad you're here."

They sat in silence for another minute or two. Maggie knew she was being rude but the direction of her thoughts seemed predetermined. She wanted to touch his cheeks with her hands. They twitched at the intensity of the memory of how it felt for her palms to press against his warm cheeks, and the sweet expression he made as he was leaning in for a kiss. The feeling she got when he kissed her, like warm sunlight on her face.

"So," Sara said, "I heard Ben's brother is back."

Maggie sighed. "Hal."

"Right...how did that go?"

Maggie pinched her lips together, and gave a little shrug. "He met someone...while he was out there, I guess. Her name is Isabella. Apparently she saved his ass in a hairy situation."

"I see," Sara said, taking a sip of her drink. "And how does that make you feel"

Maggie took a drink. She felt a breeze blow up around the roof-top. She closed her eyes, and opened them again, and he was there, holding back a little, watching her, watching the conversation. He leaned casually against the sofa that Sara was sitting on, and there was a bemused expression on his face, like he was as interested, and curious, about what her response to Sara's question would be, as she was. It seemed so silly that her hallucination of him would appear, at this specific moment, and that it would care how she felt about Hal's reappearance, and his new girlfriend, but as crazy as she knew it was Maggie felt she had to alter her answer a little, so as not to hurt the apparition's feelings. The way he stared at her with those twinkling eyes made her skin tingle. "I-um...I truly want Hal to be happy, and if this Isabella does that for him, then I'm good." She took another drink, closed her eyes and when she opened them, Ben's ghost was gone.

"And what about you, Maggie?" Sara asked, crossing her legs, and taking another long drink of the whiskey. "Where does that leave you?"

"Does it really matter?" Maggie asked, feeling a little intruded upon, considering the circumstances. Drinking alone was sounding better every minute.

Sara gave a small, understanding sort of nod. "I know what you mean. I'm still trying to work out in my head what I'm trying to do with John. You know, it took me a long time to come around to all of this," Sara said, gesturing around them, "you know...I actually talked to Pope about having a kid?"

"Why?" Maggie asked, sitting forward a bit.

Sara shrugged, "I don't know. I never even considered it before...you know...before the war. I was happy being single. But now that all this has happened, I feel this insane need to put down roots. I guess my biological clock isn't taking into account that we're in the middle of an alien invasion, or something. It's weird."

"What's your point?" Maggie asked, frowning a little.

Sara smiled. "I don't really have one," she laughed, taking another drink of the whiskey, "other than that you're my friend, and you have this really beautiful family and I hate to see you in pain. I just," she sat forward, "I just want you to know that we're here for you. John and I. We're here for you and Thomas. And we're not giving up on Ben, like everyone else. Pope was just saying if any of the Masons could survive hell, it would be your husband."

Maggie felt the tears coming, and this time she didn't try to stop them. She stood up, crossed over to Sara's couch, and fell down next to her. Sara opened her arms, and Maggie rested her head on Sara's shoulder, and sobbed. "It's okay," Sara said, softly rubbing Maggie's back, "It's okay to miss him, Mags, and it's okay to still have hope. Stranger things have happened."

"Thank you," Maggie said, pulling back and wiping her eyes. "Thanks for hoping with me for just a little while longer. I need that."

Sara wiped a strip of hair out of Maggie's eyes, "So what's it like?" She asked, sitting back a little and taking another sip of whiskey, "Having a younger man?"

Maggie took the bottle that was wedged between them, put it to her lips, and took a long drink.

####

 **Ben:**

He woke with a start. His eyes blinked open, and he shielded them from the nearby fire-light, letting them adjust to the flickering hues of the cave-like room. Someone was lying next to him. He looked to his left. Anim was there, unconscious, enshrouded in her cloak. There was a peaceful expression on her face. "Anim," he whispered, and his throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper.

He heard footsteps, and looked to his right. Another Espheni was approaching. Ben stiffened, and cried out. Every part of his body hurt. Movement sent a licking fire across his skin, akin to having the worst sunburn of his life. "Don't move," the Espheni woman said, "Drink this."

She handed him a round bowl containing liquid that looked like water. "What is it?" He croaked.

She took his hand, roughly, and shoved the bowl into it, spilling half of the liquid on his clothing. "Drink it, or you will die, painfully, from those burns."

Ben looked at Anim again. "Is she okay?"

The other figure, cloaked with a hood so he couldn't see her face gave a slight nod. "My sister is foolish, but she is alive. For now."

Ben inhaled deeply and leaned his head back a little. He dipped the bowl so that it rested on the rim of his lips, and took a long drink. He recognized the flavor of the liquid. It was the same elixir from the pool in Anim's chamber. He drank the rest of the contents, and sat the bowl on the ground. "You're Anim's sister, Zyre?"

The Espheni gave an almost indiscernible nod, "I am."

"What are you going to do with us?"

"Us?" The creature asked, adjusting a little allowing her hood to drop, revealing her face for the first time. She resembled her sister, possessing the smaller female Espheni characteristics.

"Anim didn't think you would be happy about her bringing me here."

Zyre chuckled. "My sister knows me well."

"So," Ben asked, preparing for the worst. "Are you turning us in?"

Zyre sat frozen, statuesque, until Ben's anxiety formed bubbles in his stomach. "Tell me," she finally said, adjusting a little and gesturing toward Anim, "Is your concern for you, human, or for my sister?"

"Both of us," Ben replied, "She shouldn't be punished for this, for me being here. I stumbled on her chamber. I convinced her to escape, and lead me here. She didn't even tell me why we needed to come here. She just said it was our only chance to survive. I hope she was right."

Zyre lifted her knee, and leaned onto it. "I have three children by my master," Zyre said, and her tone turned thoughtful, "Two princes, and one daughter. My sons will become warriors. They were taken from me at birth. My daughter – who was also taken from me – will become a slave."

"I'm sorry," Ben said, feeling like his words were inadequate.

She sighed. "Do not feel pity for me, human. I simply want you to understand why I must do this. You see, I am allowed to see my children occasionally. And I have determined that my daughter is just as capable – if not more so – than my sons. She is bright, strong, and most importantly she is brave. Our masters underestimate our bravery. And I do not wish to see my daughter suffer my same fate. The fate of my sisters. The fate of my mother. The fate of all Espheni women. So, I will help you. Not because I have any sympathy for the human cause, but because we have a common enemy."

Ben drew in a ragged breath. "How can you help me?"

She nodded. "My sister tells me you need a way home. My chamber is located near a portal that will return you to your world. Also, I can provide you with information."

"And what about her," Ben asked, looking over at his friend.

Zyre seemed a little caught off guard by his question. "My sister chose to forfeit her life for yours. I do not pretend to know – or understand – her reasons."

Ben put his hands on his head, and felt ashamed as his eyes filled with tears. He inhaled deeply, forcing the lump in his throat back down. He knew it was strange, but he felt responsible for Anim, and he considered her a true friend, unlike any he had ever had. "There's no way to prevent her death?"

Zyre looked perplexed. "I must say," She relayed, "I did not expect for you to react this way."

"She's my friend," Ben replied, rubbing his head.

"Anim has always had reckless notions about how things should be," Zyre noted, "She would have wanted it like this. Nothing you can do will prevent her death. You must leave immediately if you do not wish to suffer the same fate. If you want the information in my possession, I must convey it now, or never."

"Will you tell her?" Ben asked, "When she wakes up, _if_ she wakes up, that I said thank you for everything.'"

Zyre seemed to be thinking about his question for a moment. She gave a little nod. "I will pass on the message, human."

"Okay," Ben said, feeling the effects of the special drink kicking in. His burns were healing already. "I'm ready."

####

 **Maggie:**

An annoying ray of sunlight kept getting in her eyes as she tried to sleep. Finally, with a huff, she sat up in bed. Her head felt a little heavy, but otherwise she wasn't hung-over from the whiskey. She grabbed the glass of water on her bedside table, and downed it all. She flinched when she felt movement to her right, and turned to see her son, Tom, sleeping restlessly beside her. He was clearly having a dream, and his eyes were blinking rapidly under the lids.

She drew herself out of bed carefully, so she didn't wake the boy. She went over to the window, and looked out over the bombed out downtown square. And there he was, sitting on the front steps of the family house, gun in hand, healthy and whole, and looking up at her. Another hallucination, Maggie told herself. Would Ben's ghost haunt her forever, or would the false images of him fade over time?

"Daddy," a voice said, and she turned to see Thomas, sitting up in bed, looking at her.

She gave him a little smile. "No baby," she told him, "It's just me."

She went over to him and sat on the bed beside him. His golden curls were plastered to his sweaty forehead, and his pajamas were slick with sweat. "Did you have bad dreams, little prince?"

He yawned, stretching his chubby arms above his head. "Hungry." He told her.

"I bet you are," she said, pulling him out of the tangle of blankets, and into her lap. He pressed a hand against her leather jacket, and leaned his little head into the curve of her arm.

She knew she needed to get dressed for the memorial service. Thomas would need to be dressed too. "Come on," she said, "Let's get you dressed, and we'll see what's for breakfast."

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Maggie called, giving Thomas a little tickle. He giggled, and she looked up, ready to greet Ann or Matt, certain they had come to rouse her and Thomas.

Hal stood in the doorway, still wearing the clothes he'd arrived in. "Hey." He said, cocking his head a little at the sight of them.

"Hi," she replied. "You look like you didn't get much sleep last night."

"Still adjusting to not being on the road, you know," he said, "And before I crash," he took a small step inside the doorway, then knelt down several feet in front of them, "I wanted to meet my nephew." He took his hat off, and Maggie felt her heart warm. It was obviously a sign of humble respect.

"Sure," she answered. "Thomas, this is your Uncle Hal, daddy's brother." She held the boy up a little so Hal could get a good look at him.

"Woah," Hal said, and there was a tremor in his voice, "He's so big."

"Hello," Thomas said.

Hal laughed. "And he talks."

"Yes," She said, laughing a little with him, "He talks a little more each day, don't you, Thomas?"

The little boy smiled, shyly pressing his face into her chest. "He's beautiful, Maggie. He looks just like-" Hal's sentence faded out. "Look," he continued after swallowing hard. "I want to apologize for everything that happened, the Karen stuff, the fights with you, and Ben. For what it's worth, I'm sorry, Maggie. You deserved better, and clearly Ben saw that, and I didn't."

"It's okay," she answered, letting Thomas play with her hair, "He was sorry. We both were, for how things turned out. We never meant to hurt you, Hal."

He gave an approving nod, and rose to his feet. "It's only fair that I tell you, I'm in love with Isabella, Maggie."

Thomas played with the buttons on her jacket, and kept giving his uncle Hal shy looks. "Good," she said. She flashed him a genuine smile. "You deserve to be happy. It's what Ben wanted. What he wants-"

Hal swallowed, and she saw fresh tears in his eyes. "You're a part of our family now, Maggie. If you ever need anything please don't hesitate-"

She held up a hand. "Thanks, Hal. Here," she said, "Can you hold him while I get his clothes ready?"

"Of course," Hal said, and she almost laughed at how nervous he looked as he accepted his nephew into his arms.

 _Oh Ben_ , she thought, _if only you were here to see this_.

####

The crowd that gathered in the square was massive. It was the first time Maggie had experienced the full roll-call of every soul currently living in Fayetteville, everyone that had joined the second mass.

Tom, Ann, Matt, and Hal sat beside her, in plastic chairs, on the raised platform for family members. The same pretty minister that had married her and Ben just a few days before, stood in front of a pulpit, facing the crowd. In the center of the square was a slab of granite that the fighters from the Embassy had carved Ben's name into. Surrounding the stone were hundreds of candles, and waving in the air high above it was the American Flag.

Thomas fidgeted in her lap, "Want down," he was chanting, "Down, down."

"Not right now, son," Maggie said, reaching into her pocket and withdrawing the wrestling action figure Matt found for Thomas. She gave the boy the toy, and he smiled up at her, patted her cheek, and then started playing.

The minister cleared her throat. "Today we are here to honor Ben Mason-"

A deafening cheer rose up from the crowd, drowning out the rest of her sentence. "Please," she said, holding up her hand, "Ben's family is here with us today to say goodbye to a son, a brother, a husband, and a father." The minister turned, and gestured toward the family, giving them a compassionate look. "But you all knew Ben as a fighter," she continued, turning back to face the crowd, "As a leader, and as your friend."

Another roaring cheer from the crowd, and Maggie felt her eyes begin to sting. She'd promised herself she wouldn't cry, but then again, a day ago, she'd promised herself she wouldn't attend the memorial service, and here she was. "Ben made a sacrifice," the minister said softly, "A sacrifice many more of us may have to make in the days to come to secure our freedom as a race. We're here today to honor Ben Mason, as a soldier, a friend, and a part of our family. Tomorrow, and every day after that, we continue to honor Ben by fighting those that took him from us." She put her fist in the air, and the entire square made the same motion, remaining surprisingly quiet.

"Ben's father has a few words to say before we light the candles," The minister said, turning to wave Tom up to the podium.

Maggie watched Tom, his movements slow and calculated, the way his adams apple vanished and reappeared. _Please don't cry, Tom_ , Maggie thought, _or I won't be able to hold it together until this is over._

Tom put both hands on the podium, and looked out over the square. He was opening his mouth to speak when there was a commotion back toward the monument. Maggie noticed people standing aside for someone walking through the crowd. She squinted, putting a hand over her eyes to block out the sun.

As the crowd parted, the figure, dressed in tattered black clothing became visible. "My god," Ann exclaimed, "It's Ben."

"Daddy," Thomas said, dropping his forgotten toy on the ground at their feet.

Maggie frowned. Of course, she saw Ben, sauntering up toward the raised platform, looking worn out, and covered in blisters, his eyes locked on her own, but strangely, it appeared everyone else was sharing her delusion.

The apparition came to stand in front of the stage, put his hands on it, and without even looking, leapt up onto it. "Daddy," Thomas burst out of her arms, and the second his feet hit the floor he was running toward the ghost of Ben.

Ben laughed, knelt down on one knee, opened his arms, and Thomas flew into them. "My sweet little boy," Ben murmured, squeezing Tom to his chest.

Maggie swallowed. Was she dreaming? That could be the only explanation for everyone being in on her hallucinations. She pinched the skin on her thigh, but nothing changed. "Maggie," the ghost said, holding a hand out to her.

"This isn't real," Maggie whispered, feeling heavy, warm tears drip down her cheeks. "You're dead, and I'm hallucinating again."

Tom, who'd been momentarily frozen like the rest of them, knelt down beside Ben and put his hand on the ghost's back. "Welcome home, son." He said, "I'm getting a little tired of thinking I've lost you."

"Wait," Weaver said, coming to stand near the platform, his gun in hand. "We saw you vanish into that Espheni portal. Cochise said you couldn't survive it. How did you get here, Ben?" Weaver's expression was suspicious, and Maggie almost wanted to giggle at how real he seemed in her dream. IT was exactly what Weaver would say, and act like, if Ben really did come back to them.

"I wouldn't have survived," Ben said, still not breaking eye contact with her. "But I had help."

"Help?" Tom asked.

"We can talk about it later," Ben told them, pushing up to a standing position. She saw him glance at Hal, then back at her. She thought she saw a pained expression cross his face, and then he was walking toward her. He knelt down inches from her knees, and the hand that wasn't holding their son went to hers, which were crushed into her lap. "You aren't hallucinating, Maggie. I'm here. I came back."

Her chest expanded with a sob, and she put both hands on his shoulders. Her hallucinations had never been this real. She had never been able to touch his apparition when it came to her, and it had certainly never spoken to her, even though she'd screamed at it to talk. The minute she'd tried to make contact, to touch him, his image would blink out, vanishing entirely. But this hallucination was different, stronger, solid, talking, and not going anywhere, despite her laying hands on him. "You left," she cried out, loud enough for everyone to hear, "You left me all alone."

Her entire body was shaking, as she brought her hands from his shoulders, to his face, cupping his cheeks in them. "I'm so sorry, Maggie," Ben replied, his expression filling with sympathy. "I didn't know it would take me this long to get back to you."

"You didn't know if you'd come back at all," she answered, dropping her hands from his face to his lap.

She felt Hal stir beside her, and Ben glanced up at him. "I was trying to travel through the portal to find you. How did you get here?"

Maggie glanced over at Hal. His expression was blank, unreadable. "I was saved by a group of civilians. They helped me get back here, to Fayetteville. Ben, I…there's so much I want to tell you."

Maggie turned back to look at Ben, and caught the suspicious expression on her husband's face. _Is this really happening_ , she thought _._

"How did you get back from the shadow plane?" Hal asked Ben.

"The same way I got here," Ben answered, "Through a portal."

Ben straightened up, took Maggie's hand, and pulled her to her feet. "Daddy," Thomas said again, and contentedly patted his father's chest.

"That's enough for now," Tom said, "I guess we can end this memorial service. My son is hurt, he needs time to heal, but as soon as we figure out what he knows, we'll let you know if it changes any of our plans. For now, go back to your posts. Unless Ben's news changes our plans, we still set out for DC tomorrow, and I want everyone well rested. Thank you for coming."

He turned back to Ben, put his hand on his son's shoulder, and nodded over at Weaver. "Come on, Ben," he said, "Let's get you to the hospital."

"I'm fine," Ben said, hoisting Tom onto his hip, and putting his arm around Maggie's shoulder. "Right now, I need to be alone with my wife, and son."

Maggie felt numb as Ben led her to their quarters. She was afraid to say anything, to do anything that might wake her up. Afraid this might be her last chance to say goodbye, even if it wasn't the real Ben, even if her mind was manifesting him. She realized, suddenly, that she'd rather be crazy, and see things that weren't really there, if it meant she could be with Ben.

####

 **Ben:**

They were sitting next to each other on the couch in their little apartment. Matt had offered to take Tom for a walk while they talked.

Ben was concerned for his wife. Maggie looked like she had lost ten pounds, or more, since he saw her last, she had dark bags under her eyes, and when he touched her, she twitched, as if the contact was painful. "Maggie, I'm so sorry," he tried again, "Please forgive me."

She glanced up at him, her eyes taking on that strange, dreamy quality. "I see you now, Ben. I can even feel you touching me, but I'm not sure you're actually real. I'm not sure this isn't just another dream."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I've seen your ghost every single day since you left," She yelled, holding her hands out, and he could see that she'd dug her fingertips into her palms, and they were bleeding.

"Hey," he said, reaching out and pulling her trembling body against him. "Hey, shhhh, I'm right here, real as ever, and I'm not going anywhere."

Her admitted hallucinations concerned him. It's not like she could really get sleep deprived, or that she'd been on any medication. "It could be that the spikes kept us connected, that they made you see me."

She gave a little nod, sniffling into his chest. "I want to believe that, Ben. I want, so badly, to believe that you're really sitting here, holding me, but I'm honestly afraid that I'll fall asleep, and when I wake up, you'll be gone."

He lifted her chin, so that he could look into her eyes. "Could a hallucination do this?" He tipped her head back a little further, and leaned down, gently pressing his blistered lips against hers. The kiss was long, and sweet, and with eyes open he watched her eyes widen, and felt her lips turning into a smile. He pulled back just a tiny bit, "I missed you so much, Maggie."

"Oh Ben," she said, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, and held onto him tightly, running her fingers through his hair. "I didn't want to believe that you were dead. I couldn't. I don't want to live without you. Please don't ever leave me again."

"I know," he said soothingly, rubbing her back. "It was stupid of me to do what I did. I realized that the second it was done. I'm so sorry for everything I put you through. Please forgive me, Maggie. I promise to never do anything like that again."

He felt her relax in his arms. She leaned back, reached up, and touched a finger to his blistered cheek. "If this is a hallucination, I hope it never ends," she told him. "Now tell me everything."

###

 **A/N:** Lots of good stuff to come. Sorry for the last few short chapters. I promise the next one will be a really LONG one! Thanks for sticking with the story. If you have the time to leave a review, I would really appreciate the motivation to continue this love story despite how the show seems to be taking this pairing. Thanks everyone!


	12. Chapter 12

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

**I listened to _Sia – Elastic Heart_ while writing the Ben and Maggie scenes in this chapter.

 **Chapter Twelve:**

 **Ben:**

He watched his father and Hal discussing strategy in the war room, both leaning over a variety of maps spread on the table. It had been a long night, and they both wore the signs of exhaustion. Two half-empty beers held two corners of the map they were studying down.

Tom pushed away from the table, crossed his arms over his chest, and glanced up, meeting Ben's eyes. "You're awfully quiet over there, son."

Hal looked over at Ben. "Let me guess. You don't like the plan?" Hal asserted, before picking up his forgotten beer, and taking a long drink of it.

"I can speak for myself, Hal." Ben replied, working to keep his tone casual.

"Then do it," Tom answered, before Hal could. "If you have something to say, any input would be appreciated. Yesterday, this plan wasn't possible. We owe all of this to you, Ben."

Ben crossed his arms over his chest. "We need to evacuate all non-fighters before we move on D.C."

Hal gave him a dismissive smirk, and turned back to the map, finishing off the last of his beer. Tom stayed where he was. "Everyone in the second mass is a fighter, Ben."

"Not my son or the handful of other kids with us. Some of the medical, and scientific, civilians will do more harm than good in a battle."

Tom rubbed his chin, "I think they're better off with us, son, where we can keep them safe."

"They're not, actually." Ben replied. He slid off the barstool, and went over to the maps. He found the two he was looking for, and spread them out on the unused side of the table. The first map was of the local area. He studied it for a moment and then pointed to a spot. "Alex and the plane are here," he told them before pointing to a spot on the other map, "this is where the embassy is located. I'm suggesting we fuel up the plane and send the non-fighters to the embassy. They'll be safe there until this is over."

Ben stood back from the table, and looked up at them. Hal looked unimpressed, but Tom was nodding, and grinning. "It's not a bad idea. Minimize distractions. Keep the fighters focused. Wars aren't for families, not if it's avoidable."

"Exactly," Ben said, nodding

Hal cleared his throat. "On the flip side of the coin, we could use the plane for the main attack." He shrugged, "It's something I've thought about."

"It's a 747. That's a pretty big target," Ben countered. "Our plan's main advantage is stealth. Jets are loud, and easy to see."

"Know that," Hal said, "I was talking about using it to deflect attention from what we're _really_ doing."

"Oh," Ben nodded, "I see your point." He shook his head, "But shouldn't we be prioritizing saving lives over upping our game?"

Hal cocked his head to the left and put his hands out, palm up, and shrugged, "I don't know man," he answered. "The point is to win the war, right? That's our objective, and our priority, isn't it?" He glanced over at Tom.

Tom crossed his arms, and rubbed his chin again. Finally he chimed in. "Who would escort the civilians to the embassy?"

Ben swallowed. He had thought about the answer to this specific question a lot since he'd come up with the idea of sending the non-fighters to the embassy, even though he knew – deep down- that he'd already made up his mind. "The pilot, Alex, and Maggie."

Hal laughed. Tom inhaled deeply. Ben glared over at Hal. He sensed that something was wrong with Hal, that his brother was pissed at him. Maggie had told him about Hal coming to meet Thomas, and telling Maggie he was in love with someone else, and she'd said he'd seemed okay with him and Maggie being together, but Ben got the feeling that wasn't entirely true. Maybe Hal had forgiven Maggie, but not him. "Do you trust this Alex?" Tom asked.

"I trust everyone I brought with me from the embassy," Ben replied, still a little lost in thoughts about Hal and Maggie.

Hal laughed again. "You really think she's gonna let you ship her off to the mountains, bro?" Hal asked, "If that's true, you know her a lot less than I thought you did."

"Hey," Tom said, holding up a hand at Hal, "Let's not make this personal."

"I didn't say she would like it," Ben said, keeping his voice calm, even though his body felt like it was buzzing, and his hands twitched as his anger began to rise. "But if I ask her to go with our son, she will."

Hal gave a disbelieving nod, waving Ben off dismissively like he used to when they argued as kids. Ben remembered how insignificant the familiar gesture had always made him feel, and he took a step toward his brother, eyes narrowed. "If you have something to say to me, why don't you just say it, instead of all these theatrics, Hal?"

"Boys," Tom said in a low, sing-song, fatherly voice. "Let's just relax and-"

"At first I told myself I didn't care," Hal said, "I could put it past me, especially coming home and hearing of your disappearance and probable death, but then just like that" he snapped his fingers, "You were back, and I started to remember things you promised me before you ran off into the mountains with my girl. You said you wouldn't let her come between us."

"I didn't," Ben stated, taking another step toward Hal. He took a deep breath, and forced himself to stop, before he got close enough to slug Hal in the face. "We went looking for a cure _for you_. I talked to Maggie, Hal. You told her you're with someone else anyways, so why does it even matter?"

"It matters," Hal said, dropping his chin to his chest for a minute, before looking up again. "It matters because you did everything you said you wouldn't, and from what you're planning- sending Maggie away- I'm starting to think you did it all to spite me and not because you actually love her."

Ben froze, and frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Boys, why don't you both back off and take a break. We can work this all out in the morning," Tom said, tiredly.

"No," Ben said, turning toward his dad, "If you need to leave, go ahead," he told his father. Then he turned back to Hal, "What are you talking about, Hal?"

"The Maggie I know wouldn't let anything, or anyone, stop her from being on the front lines for this final push. Not after everything she's been through with us."

Ben nodded. "I know that."

Hal shook his head, giving another little laugh. "If I've learned anything about loving someone, Ben, it's that the minute you start trying to change them, you start pushing them away. Whether you like it or not your 'wife'" Hal made air-quotes with his hands, "is a fighter. If you really loved her, you wouldn't ask her to run away. Maggie and I may not be a couple anymore, but we have a pretty long history, and I still care about what happens to her. If you're using her to get back at me-"

"Let me get this straight," Ben interrupted, rubbing his forehead, "you think I seduced Maggie into falling for me, having my child, and marrying me just to get under your skin?"

Hal's shoulders sagged a bit, "If you love her, you'll let her stay."

"That's I decision Maggie and I will make together."

"Sounds to me like you've already made it for me." The three of them turned to see Maggie leaning in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest.

####

 **Maggie:**

She looked up from cleaning her gun to see Pope and Sara strolling her way, Pope's arm wrapped around Sara's shoulders, both of them grinning from ear to ear. "Hey Mags," Pope called, "how many times you going to clean those pieces today?"

"As many times as it takes," Maggie stated, looking back down at her guns.

"We just got word," Sara called out, and Maggie sensed them change course and head her way, "about the flight to the embassy."

Maggie grunted. It had been three days since she'd walked in on the Mason men discussing her fate without bothering to include her. Three days since she'd talked to any of them, even Ben.

"We've decided we're going," Sara said, and Maggie felt them standing close enough to cast her work table in shade. "Instead of you."

"Well she has," Pope added, "I didn't really get a choice."

"What are you talking about?" Maggie asked, dropping her rag on the table and leaning back in her seat, looking up at them.

"Ben asked for volunteers to escort the civilians to the embassy. We put in our names."

"Why would you do that?" She blinked at John Pope. He might be an asshole, but he'd never shied away from a fight, and this fight was going to be the grand finale. "John?"

Pope shrugged, and tenderly squeezed the back of Sara's neck. "Turns out I knocked up this little lady."

Sara opened her mouth wide, and slapped Pope on the shoulder. "God, John, you could have let me tell her."

"You're pregnant?" Maggie asked, unable to keep herself from smiling back at her friends.

Sara gave a shy little nod, and her hands went instinctively to her stomach. "Anne thinks I'm about four weeks."

Maggie stood up and came around the table holding out her arms and hugging both of them. It was amazing how far they'd come. She used to hate Pope, but every since Sara showed up Pope seemed like a new person, still an ass, but in a more muted, tolerable way. And clearly Sara loved him. Maggie felt a small pang of guilt looking at them and thinking about how terribly she'd been treating Ben, and how they hadn't really spent any time together since he returned from hell, because of her damn pride. Obviously, Ben, Hal, and Tom had been talking – or more like arguing – about her future like that because they cared about her. Even if she should have been in on the conversation, they still had her best interest at heart. "Congratulations guys," she said, stepping back from the embrace.

"I'm a lucky man, Mags." Pope stated, "To be getting a second chance."

A thrill of exhilaration tingled up her spine. Ben had changed his mind. He wasn't going to try to convince her to stay behind anymore. He had finally come to his senses, and hopefully he would be more like himself now, like the man she fell in the love with, the man who knew better than to try to stand in her way of being who she was. She felt a small urge to activate the connection to him with the spikes, but then she thought of something. "I need you guys to look after Thomas for me at the embassy, until we come for him."

Sara reached up, and gave Maggie's cheek a gentle pat. "Of course," she agreed, "You know we love the kid."

Another wave of guilt washed over her. Staying away from Ben had meant staying away from Thomas too. Suddenly her arms ached to hold her little boy again, and she felt a cavernous sorrow at the idea of being parted from him for however long it took them to win the war, but it didn't change her mind. Her desire to finish what she started with the aliens overpowered her motherly instinct to go with the boy. He would be safe with Sara and Pope, and knowing he was out there waiting would give her something more to fight for. One day they might be able to settle down and be an actual family, but pretending that day had come prematurely would do no good for anyone, especially her. She needed to finish this. She needed closure. "I need to see Ben," she said, realizing she'd been lost in her thoughts too long. "Where is he?"

"War room," Pope said, thumbing over his shoulder.

"I'll see you guys later, before you head out." Maggie sat back down at the table and reassembled her guns. When she was finished she slid them into her shoulder holster and stood up to go find Ben.

"Hey," a voice said.

She looked up and there he was giving her a quizzical look, half-way between a smile and concern.

Maggie was surprised to feel her heart start to race. "Hi"

"So this is where you've been holing up." He glanced around at the small tent-camp set up on the edge of the perimeter, blocks away from the downtown square.

Maggie gave a little shrug. "This is the fighter camp." Ben gave a little nod, and toed a pebble around with his shoe. She realized he was avoiding making eye contact. "I was just coming to see you."

He looked up, a hopeful smile turning up his lips. "Really?"

She almost laughed. He sometimes looked so boyish still. "How's Thomas?"

Ben gave a little chuckle. "He grew so much while I was in the shadow plane. He's been going to school with the other kids."

Maggie frowned, "Do you think that's safe?"

Ben gave a little shrug, "I don't see why not."

"He's not like them."

"I don't think you're giving the kid enough credit, Maggie. He's very bright, and he's developing some rather remarkable social skills. He wants to be with the other kids. We don't want to alienate him, right?"

"I guess not," she said, rubbing her sweaty palms on her jeans. "If you think he'll be okay."

"I do," Ben answered, "I'm more worried about you right now, actually." He took a step toward her, and she stiffened for some reason so he stopped. "So you're still mad at me?"

Maggie didn't know why she acted this way. OF course she had forgiven him, but for some reason she wasn't able to show it yet. "I don't know. Pope and Sara were just here. They told me you changed your mind about sending me to the embassy."

Ben nodded. "Hal was right. And you know how much it pains me to say that."

"Not so long ago you would have been arguing his point, and vice versa."

"True," Ben said, giving a little nod.

"You've changed, Ben."

He looked up at her, his expression blank, "It's not that," he said, shaking his head, and avoiding her eyes again, "I just can't stand the thought of losing you."

"You used to understand that that was part of the risk of loving me."

He nodded. "I know. But after the shadow plane, thinking I'd never see you again, knowing I wasn't here to protect you, and Thomas. I just want you to be safe."

"Ben," she said, coming to stand right in front of him. There was barely five inches between them. She put her hands on his chest. "The safest place for me is by your side, and vice versa. Remember? We keep each other safe."

He reached a tentative hand up, hesitating, his eyes meeting hers. Those grey-blue eyes swarming with little black flecks, like debris in a storm, and when she gave the slightest nod she felt him lean in, his long blond bangs tickling her cheek, and she felt his soft lips brush against her own causing her arm-hair to stand on end, and tingles to travel all the way from her lips down to the tips of her toes. He pulled his head back just a little, and whispered, "I love you. I understand what I did wrong and this time I'm going to do everything in my power to respect your wishes. Can you ever forgive me?"

Maggie sighed, and wrapped her arms around his head, letting her fingers get lost in the soft, long hair at the nape of his neck. "Forgiven," she whispered back.

She felt him smiling as he leaned into her lips again, and he reached around her back with his rock-hard arms and pulled her into a bear head, crushing the top of her head with his chin. She snuggled into him, inhaling his smell; a mixture of soap and salty sweat. Her mouth watered at the thought of kissing, and tasting him. "We have to go," he murmured, and his grip on her relaxed a little, though she felt his hands on her arms pulsating with warmth.

"Are you sure we don't have a few minutes?" She asked, leaning back a little and giving him a lustful smile. "My tents right here." She gestured toward the small tent she'd borrowed from one of the fighters on Anthony's squad.

Ben groaned, and leaned down as if he was going to kiss her again then took a step back and emitted a low, frustrated growl. "We're expected back right away. The planes taking off in a few hours, and I want to be there to talk to Alex, and make sure Thomas settles in well with Pope and Sara."

Maggie inhaled deeply, willing her womanly urges away for the time being. More importantly, she hadn't seen her son in three days and was about to be separated from him for a lot longer than that. "All right," she said, "but later…" she let the sentence drop off.

"Don't worry, babe" Ben countered, taking her hand and giving her an ornery look, "there will _definitely_ be a later."

####

Thomas sat in her lap. She was sitting, cross-legged, in the tall grass watching the line of people slowly board the plane. Thomas leaned back, and looked up at her face, reaching a hand up and touching her cheek with his palm. The images he showed her were of the last time they'd flown coming to Fayetteville. He showed her the part where they'd almost crashed during the storm, and how he had been the one to even out the plane and save them all.

"I thought so," she said, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him. "I need you to take care of Uncle Pope and Aunt Sara this time, okay buddy?"

"Okay."

"And Mommy and Daddy are going to stay here for a while, but soon we will come and get you, okay?"

"Okay."

"You should listen to Sara and obey her, and if anything happens you stay close to her, okay?"

"Okay mommy," he said, and he smiled up at her. His blond curls were down to his shoulders, and his cheeks were chubby and ruddy, and she felt tears come to her eyes thinking that when she saw him next he might have outgrown his baby fat.

"I love you so much Tommy."

"I love you too, mommy."

She kissed the top of his silky head, and rocked him back and forth humming his favorite lullaby.

"Mommy?" Thomas said after a long moment of silence.

"Yes honey?"

"Is a heaven a real place?"

Maggie frowned. Sometime it seemed like her son's brain was in a race with his body to see which could develop faster. She realized that he was waiting for her answer. He squeezed her arm. "I don't know. What do you think?" She asked.

He stuck his bottom lip out and his body went slightly limp. "I was hoping you would know."

"Why?"

"Because I want to know where you go when you die."

Maggie squeezed him against her. "Nothing is going to happen to you sweetheart. I promise."

"It's not me. It's you and daddy."

"What about us?" she asked leaning the boy back a little so she could see his face while they talked. His little eyebrows were scrunched together, and his lips were pinched together so tight they were pale compared to their usual rosy red.

"You and daddy are going to die. This is the last time I'll see you."

Maggie felt a chill go up her spine. She tried to shake the feeling that he was right. "Why do you think that, baby?" She ran her fingers through his sweaty curls.

"I dreamed about it."

"Dreams aren't real, Thomas."

"Yes they are, mommy."

"Hey guys," a familiar voice said, and she felt herself relax a little as Ben finished the ten foot stretch of distance between himself and them. "It's just about time. Come here, buddy," he said, kneeling down in front of them.

Maggie could feel Tommy's energy shift to a happier, more positive state as soon as his father was near. She could feel the tension leaving his body as he jumped from her lap and went running into Ben's arms. She heard him murmuring "daddy, daddy," over and over again as Ben hugged the little boy to his chest.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Ben said. Ben met her eyes and he must have seen something in the way she looked because his face transformed from the joy of holding his son to concern. "What were you and mommy talking about?"

"Oh nothing," Tommy said, leaning back and fishing in Ben's hoodie pocket for something.

Ben raised his eyebrows at her. "Death" she mouthed.

Ben's eyes widened. She felt him subtly activate the spikes, and she gave him her memory of the conversation from moments earlier. When he severed the connection he was looking strangely at Thomas. "Son?"

"Yeah daddy," the boy replied, finally retrieving a piece of hard candy from Ben's pocket, and looking up with a triumphant smile.

"I just want to make sure you know that mommy and I are going to be okay. I know you're scared, but I promise we're going to be okay, and we're going to get back to you as soon as we possibly can."

Thomas had the candy unwrapped and it hovered – pinched between his index finger and thumb – just outside his lips. "You die fighting an overlord and mommy dies trying to save you." Thomas said, and then he popped the candy in his mouth, wormed his way out of Ben's arms and ran to where the other kids were playing, immediately joining in their game.

Ben met her eyes. "He's not a prophet," he stated, "He had a dream. Kids have dreams all the time. He's just scared" He shook his head, straightening to his full height and holding his hand down to pull her up from where she was sitting.

"We don't know what he is."

"Of course we do" Ben said, pulling her back against his chest and wrapping his arms around her waist, crisscrossing his hands. "He's our son. He's going to be okay, and so are we. Do you trust me?"

"Always" she said relaxing back against his chest but their son's words echoed in her mind. _You die fighting an overlord and mommy dies trying to save you._

####

 **Ben:**

 _Mommy dies trying to save you._ The words seared themselves into his brain and it was all he could do to keep from hearing them repeated over and over again. He had just – once again – come to terms with the fact that he couldn't prevent Maggie from participating in the final battle, and now this haunting prediction spoken by his own little boy, from the child cherub he'd made with his goddess. All Ben wanted was to keep his family safe. He realized that life wasn't about just what he wanted, and that's why after three days of silence from Maggie, he'd forced himself to see the truth of Hal's words. Trying to change Maggie would only push her further away.

They'd said a tearful goodbye, watched the plane take off, and watched it until it became a little speck on the horizon, long after the others had returned to camp. Maggie was quiet on the drive back home, and he suspected she was thinking of what Thomas had said also. "It's going to be okay, you know," he said, reaching over to put a hand on her thigh.

He noticed she was clutching the wheel so hard that her knuckles were turning white. "Sure" she said, flashing him a fake smile.

"Maggie," he said, "I'm serious. Don't let what Thomas said freak you out. It was just a dream."

"You mean a nightmare" she corrected, "And from our telepathic alien-human hybrid child."

"Don't label him like that Maggie" he said softly.

"I'm sorry," she said, shoving the clutch into fourth gear as the road opened up. "I think I'm just stressed."

"No doubt," he agreed, "we could both use a night off."

"How about tonight?" She shot back and he could hear a teasing tone in her voice.

He reached his hand up and wrapped it around the back of her neck. "How about right now?"

Maggie raised an eyebrow, and quickly down-shifted, pulling over to the side of the road. She killed the ignition and sat back in the seat, peeling off her leather gloves. "It's been too long."

"Way too long," he said. "I can't stop thinking about being inside you."

She pulled her t-shirt up over her arms, revealing her milky white skin that contrasted so nicely with her tattoos. Her hair was growing again and he watched the way the brown waves danced on the edge of her collarbone. "Beautiful," he breathed.

She wiggled out of her pants, and in one swift motion she was straddling him with nothing but his jeans and the thin fabric of her panties between them. He grabbed her hips pulling her down against him and simultaneously grinded upward. He reached around her, unclasping her bra, and then he adjusted the lever on his seat so that it reclined back as far as it would go. "God I missed everything about you," he said "How were we not always doing this before?"

She smiled and leaned down putting her elbows and forearms on his chest, her hair tickling his skin. "Mmmh," she moaned, "you know… war, having a kid, you wandering off to other dimensions…stuff like that always getting in the way."

"You know what?" He asked, lifting his head up to kiss her, "When it's over, I think we should see how many days straight we can do this for before we pass out from exhaustion."

Maggie laughed and in that moment she was so carefree and happy that all he wanted to do was please her as much as he possibly could. He couldn't help feeling sadness at the prospect that Thomas was right, and that the end was coming for them. If these were going to be his last days, this was exactly how he wanted to spend them; making Maggie smile.

####

 **A/N:** Sorry this update took so long. I moved into a new house over the last week so it's been super busy. I don't know about you guys, but I wasn't too impressed with the FS Season Finale. I am humbly setting my goals to do better than that, especially when it comes to Maggie and Ben. Sorry but they just can't go out like that. Hopefully, over the last couple of chapters of this fanfic I can do a little better for those of you who like this ship. Thanks so much for reading and please don't forget those reviews because they always keep me going!


	13. Chapter 13

**Falling for Maggie**

 **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fan-fiction. The story I tell about Ben and Maggie is my own invention, and it is not purported, or believed, to be part of the _Falling Skies_ story canon. It is for entertainment only, and is not part of the storyline.

 **Chapter Thirteen:**

 **Ben:**

She was giving him that look like she knew what he was going to say next. They were sharing the back seat of the armored vehicle after a particularly heated and essential coupling that had taken them from the passenger seat to the back seat where they could spread out more. "What?" He asked, reaching out and letting one of her brown ringlets circle his index finger.

"What do you mean 'what?'"

He grinned, "You're giving me _that_ look."

"And which look, exactly, are you referring to, Ben?"

"The one where you peer into my soul like some kind of divine oracle." He clenched his fist over his chest dramatically.

Maggie smiled and pulled her t-shirt over her head shifting it into place. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do." As usual being alone and uninterrupted with Maggie felt like a dream to Ben, so surreal, like maybe there really wasn't a war, maybe he was back home in his bed, abominably fourteen again and dreaming of being with his ideal girl. That was the effect she had on him, causing him to question whether each moment with her was fantasy or reality because the fact that she wanted him back, that she loved him and was passionate about him always seemed too good to be true.

He felt a stirring and realized he wanted her again. In fact, if Ben could have things his way they wouldn't leave the car for another week. Despite his insatiable appetite for Maggie his thoughts turned to a darker space. The final push was coming. In a few short days humanity would either lose or win the war against alien invaders. Ben had no way of knowing what the outcome would be and the not knowing felt like a constant, nagging itch that he couldn't scratch. "Earth to Ben," Maggie said. She was done dressing and was fastening her shoulder holster in place and watching him with calculating eyes.

Ben gave her a small smile. "I'm scared Maggie," he admitted and was surprised at how little admitting his fear to her embarrassed him. Ben felt like she was the one person in the world who he could open up to about his doubts. "I get this frozen, tortured feeling anytime I think about losing you or Tom or something happening to one of you."

Maggie frowned and sat forward becoming instantly intense and focused. She put her hand on his cheek and forced him to look her directly in the eyes. "Listen to me," she said, her tone even, calm and ringing with certainty, "It's just you and me here," she said touching his chest and then her own. "And we're both scared right now because we don't know how this all going to end. All we can do is be damn sure that we're the ones making the choices that lead us to that end. Together, we make smart choices and we keep each other safe. No matter what happens _this_ is our main priority," she stated gesturing at the space between them again. "We decide our destiny or we die trying. Deal?"

Ben swallowed and cocked his head to the left and took both of her hands in his noticing how beautiful her tiny, scarred hand looked with his ring on it. "Maggie you know I'd die for you."

She narrowed her eyes, "Did you just listen to a word I said Ben Mason? Under no circumstances will you be taking any bullets for me."

"I like it when you get all uppity," he replied, "your cheeks turn rosy red," he released his grip on her hands to touch her cheek, "Did you have to get dressed so fast?"

Maggie gave him a wry grin and leaned in for a soft, sensual kiss. She smelled so heavenly, like strawberries and honey. He reached his hands up and ran his fingers through her thick hair and one of them – he was so engrossed he seriously couldn't tell if it was him or her - groaned sending pulsating vibrations up and down the entire length of their spikes – like running fingers over every key on a piano. "We better get back," she murmured, "they'll be worried about us."

Ben inhaled deeply resisting the agonizing urge to draw her lips – inches from his own still – back down to touch his own some more.

 **Maggie:**

Ben had just finished tying his shoes and was zipping up his black hoody when their spikes both lit up and they sensed someone, something nearby, "Espheni," Ben silently mouthed.

Maggie nodded emphatically pulling one of her guns from her shoulder holster and immediately surveying the darkness outside the car. They both knew what the presence of an Espheni meant. They had parked well within the boundaries of the safe zone around the camp. No alien should have been able to make it this close. Something was wrong.

 _We just can't catch a break_ , Maggie thought.

She felt the presence and the direction it was coming from before she saw it and pointed her gun in that direction hoping Ben would roll down the window so she could get a clean shot. Whatever it was coming was moving fast. She cocked the gun.

"Don't," Ben said putting his hand over the gun and pushing her aim down, "Wait…it's Lexi."

"Lexi is dead Ben. Whatever that is, it isn't your sister." But Ben seemed to be in a trance and she realized that he was communicating with something, "Ben."

He snapped out of it. "It is my sister, Maggie. I don't know how. She won't tell me but she isn't coming to hurt us. She has a message for us."

"Bullshit," Maggie stated, "I'm not falling for that again. And I'm not going to let you either. Can you sense how many are with her?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes never leaving the gun in Maggie's hand. She had a feeling if she tried to shoot Ben would stop her even if he had to use force. Whatever the Espheni had said to him – through the spikes – he was utterly convinced it was his sister. "She says she's alone."

Another lie Maggie thought. "If she has a message she can give it to you now without coming near us."

"She's my sister, Maggie, and she's alive. I thought she died saving our father. How can I turn her away if it's really her?"

"It's not. It's just another trick Ben."

Bens jaw tightened. "I'm not backing down on this. I'm letting her approach. You're just going to have to trust me."

Maggie opened her mouth to argue but clamped her lips shut as she caught a glimpse of movement in the dark forest line about a hundred feet away. Lexi, looking very similar to how she had when she'd left for the moon with Tom except dressed in fighter clothing with her long hair braided intricately on top of her head, stepped out from the tree line alone and began to approach the vehicle.

Maggie did a quick calculation of which sentry team Lexi would have had to disabled to get to her present position. There was a team of three fighters, Anthony included, who had been on post at the east forest location and Lexi would have had to walk right through them to get where she was now. "Why didn't Anthony's team radio in about this, Ben? What did she do to them?"

"That will be my first question," he said, unlocking and opening the door, reaching back for her hand and helping her down out of the vehicle. He stood facing his sister but he kept Maggie's hand in his.

Lexi looked well considering she crashed a ship into the surface of the moon. Maggie wasn't about to let Ben do all the talking. That just wasn't her way. "Shouldn't you be dead?" She called out loudly, feeling Ben wince a little beside her.

The girl hesitated for a fraction of a second and then started toward them again, "You never were one for faith and miracles were you Maggie, or should I say 'sister?'"

"Lexi," Ben said, "How did you survive?"

She was ten feet away and she stopped and slid her hands into her pockets looking innocent and nervous. "I don't know," she answered, "I woke up in the water here on earth floating on a piece of debris. Some survivors found me and took me in. They nursed me back to health and here I am." She gave a little shrug.

"I sensed you have a message for me," Ben said.

Lexi nodded looking insecure. "While I was sick an Espheni overlord came to me in a dream. They know what you're planning. They know about the attack. It's a trap and they're hoping you'll do exactly what you're planning to do."

"And this overlord told you all this why?" Maggie asked, tasting the sarcasm in her words.

"They tried to convince me to come back to them. They offered me the position of overseer of the entire overlord force, they wanted me to take over the offensive against you."

Maggie chuckled, "And let me guess, you turned them down."

"Is it so hard to believe, Maggie? I want to be with my family. I'm not coming to you pretending to be something I'm not. I'm half Espheni, yes, but I'm also half human. I miss my mother, and I want a chance to get to know my father and my brothers. Is that so unbelievable?"

Maggie was about to say 'under the circumstances yes it is' but Ben answered before she could. "You're lying," he said.

"What?" Lexi asked, her intense gaze instantly forgetting Maggie as she turned to face her brother.

"The Espheni would never allow a woman to lead them."

"But Karen…" Lexi started.

Ben interrupted her, "Karen was never in control we both know that."

Lexi dropped her head for a moment and looked up again, "You think you know everything because you almost died in the shadow plane, Ben Mason," she said, her tone turning ugly, "we know everything. We know that the whores feelings for you are not even her own."

Maggie raised the gun back up and pointed it at Lexi's chest. "Watch who you're calling a whore, you alien bitch. Can I kill her now, Ben?"

Maggie glanced over at him. Ben was frowning. "What did you mean?" He asked Lexi, "that her feelings aren't her own?"

Lexi gave an aloof laugh, "I saw inside her, Ben, before you arrived at our little temple, and her feelings for Hal were real. She truly loved Hal Mason and she would have been happy to spend the rest of her short time on this planet with him. She never wanted you. She never even considered you. I changed that with one simple snap of my fingers. No point in arguing it Maggie," Lexi said, holding up a hand as Maggie opened her mouth, "It was so easy to make her affections shift from Hal to you dear brother. You see I needed you on my side, needed you happy, and don't tell Hal but I always liked you better. So, I orchestrated it all and here's the thing. I can switch it off just as easily as I switched it on." Lexi's face contorted into a demented grin.

Maggie felt a horrific crawling sensation touching the most private, deepest parts of her consciousness, and became detachedly aware of another mind inside her where no other mind should be. She tried to pull the trigger but her finger was suddenly frozen in place. Then everything happened at once, she felt something slam into her side, the gun was wrenched from her hand and the last thing she saw before her head landed on something sharp was a round crimson smoking hole in the middle of Lexi's forehead.

 **Ben:**

The wall was uncomplicated. It expected nothing of him. So he stared at it and refused to speak to anyone or even acknowledge that anyone else was there.

She was lying on the bed next to him but, again, it was so much easier to look at the wall. He knew what he would see if he turned to look at Maggie. He'd see a river of guilt so deep that he knew it would wash his soul away for good if he stared into it for too long.

Maggie was still unconscious. Anne had been forced to shave her head so she could repair the damage the rock had done to Maggie's skull. The prognosis wasn't good. It never was. All he ever wanted was to be able to protect her and instead he'd been the one to hurt her. He could have found a better way to get the gun from Maggie or not been an idiot and left his own weapon in the vehicle or listened to Maggie in the first place about not trusting Lexi again.

The recently deceased's words echoed in his mind again for the millionth time since she'd uttered them: _"She truly loved Hal Mason and she would have been happy to spend the rest of her short time on this planet with him. She never wanted you. She never even considered you. I changed that with one simple snap of my fingers."_

And then he was up and his chair was falling backwards onto the floor with a bang. Someone…he turned to look, Anne, was nearby and she was clutching her chest and looking frightfully at his unexpected outburst. Ben grabbed both sides of his head as the pounding threatened to make him pass out. A searing pain so white hot that it felt like his skin was melting pummeled through his muscles. A vision took him. He was hovering over the entire second mass encampment giving him an aerial view of the wasted city. An enormous storm cloud blacked out half the sky and was expanding at an astronomical rate. And then he saw some smaller clouds already over the city and then the gut pounded realization hit him. It was no storm cloud. It was a roiling, seething mass of black hornets, and it was already too late. His eyes burned as the vision faded out and he was back in the room. "They're coming," he choked out. Each word felt like he was spitting fire. He clutched at his bulging throat and Anne was across the room and at his side in two seconds flat systematically checking his body and waving her hand in his face.

"Just sit down," she said and guided him to the nearest spot he could land, at the end of Maggie's bed.

The feeling was releasing a little and he felt his throat slowly loosen enough so he could speak. "What are you doing?" He croaked, holding his abdomen, where the pain had migrated to, with both arms and doubling over, "Go warn them."

Anne looked conflicted about leaving him in such a state but she could clearly see the urgency of his vision and so she grabbed him a glass of water, told him not to move and disappeared into the hallway yelling for some guards. Seconds later an alarm sounded all over the complex. Ben glanced around the room fighting the temptation to pass out, shaking his head and forcing himself to keep breathing. There wasn't time to hide. He stood up, gripping the railing of the bed during a wave of dizziness, recovered, and went to the dresser beside Maggie's bed. He opened it and retrieved Maggie's weapons and his knife. Then he wedged the dresser away from the wall.

Next he removed Maggie's IV and gently lifted her out of the hospital bed and laid her limp body behind the dresser. Thankfully she was still dressed in her field gear because there hadn't been time to change her into a hospital gown before the emergency procedure. Ben went over to the hospital bed and flipped it over and bent the legs, with as much effort as a normal person might use to fold a piece of paper, inward so that they were flush with the bottom of the metal bed.

He put the flattened bed on top of the dresser and bent the sides so that they sheltered Maggie. He grabbed his gun from the counter and ducked down underneath the bed with Maggie, holding the gun in front of him and aiming it at the door. The hornet attack would come from above at first, they'd use man-made bombs and drop them on the city before they sent in ground troops. Hopefully the little shelter he'd made them would hold long enough for Maggie to regain consciousness and he'd have time to figure out a way to get them out of the building and the city. As for the rest of the second mass Ben could only hope they'd had enough warning to get everyone to the safety of the underground tunnels.

As the thought crossed Ben's mind the first bomb hit during which he received the strong sensation that an Espheni overlord was in the hospital and searching for him. Ben risked looking inside the overlord's mind and found something shocking. The aliens were no longer interested in winning the war between the Espheni race and human kind. Ben's venture into their shadow world had been an abhorrent insult to the Espheni ideology, a permanent stain on the species timeless belief in their invincibility, pureness and superiority over all other life forms. Combined with Ben's ability to win over their female counterparts thereby severing an age old tradition of loyalty the Espheni now had a bigger vendetta then simply wanting to take the earth. A vendetta against Ben Mason and they wouldn't rest until Ben had suffered for his detestable crimes. And what better way to punish him than to kill the man's wife and son in front of him whilst simultaneously destroying humanity as a byproduct of their victory against him. A soul shattering image flashed in Ben's mind; the approaching overlord held something in his arms. Something small and alive. A child. Thomas.

 **A/N:** Hope this was an enjoyable update. I know it's been a while and that this is a pretty short chapter but I'll it was fun and easy to write so I'm thinking I'll get back into it again. Of course reviews are definitely helpful! I'm always excited to hear your feedback! Thanks for sticking with me Falling Skies Fans!


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